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Photographic 

Sciences 

Corporation 


23  WIST  MAIN  STRUT 

WHSTIIt,N.Y.  MSIO 

(716)  87a-4S03 


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CIHM/ICMH 

Microfiche 

Series. 


CIHM/ICMH 
Collection  de 
microfiches. 


Canadian  Institute  for  Historical  Microreproductions  /  Institut  Canadian  de  microreproductions  historiques 


Technical  and  Bibliographic  Notes/i^otes  techniques  et  bibliographiques 


TiMC 

tothf 


The  Institute  has  attempted  to  obtain  the  best 
original  copy  available  for  filming.  Features  of  this 
copy  which  may  be  bibliographicaily  unique, 
which  may  alter  any  of  the  images  in  the 
reproduction,  or  which  may  significantly  change 
the  usual  method  of  filming,  are  checked  below. 


D 
D 
D 

n 


n 
n 


a 


Coloured  covers/ 
Couvertura  de  couieur 

Covers  damaged/ 
Couverture  endommag^e 

Covers  restored  and/or  laminated/ 
Couverture  restaurie  et/ou  pelliculie 

Cover  title  missing/ 

Le  titre  de  couverture  manque 


I      I    Coloured  maps/ 


n 


Cartes  g^ographiques  en  couieur 


Coloured  ink  (i.e.  other  than  blue  or  black)/ 
Encre  de  couieur  (i.e.  autre  que  bleue  ou  noire) 


Coloured  plates  and/or  illustrations/ 
Planches  et/ou  illustrations  en  couieur 

Bound  with  other  material/ 
Relii  avec  d'autras  documents 

Tight  binding  may  causa  shadows  or  distortion 
along  interior  margin/ 

La  re  liure  serree  peut  causer  de  t'ombre  ou  de  la 
distorsion  !•  long  da  la  marge  intirieura 

Blank  leaves  added  during  restoration  may 
appear  within  the  text.  Whenever  possible,  these 
have  been  omitted  from  filming/ 
II  se  peut  que  certaines  pages  blanches  ajouties 
lors  d'une  restauration  apparaissent  dans  le  toxta. 
mais,  lorsque  ceta  Atait  possible,  ces  pages  n'ont 
pas  ixt  filmies. 

Additional  comments:/ 
Commantaires  supplAmentaires: 


L'Institut  a  microfilm^  le  meilleur  axemplaire 
qu'il  iui  a  ate  possible  de  se  procurer.  Les  details 
de  cet  exemplaire  qui  sont  peut-dtre  uniques  du 
point  de  vue  bibliographique,  qui  peuvent  modifii>r 
une  image  reproduite.  ou  qui  peuvent  exiger  une 
modification  dans  la  m^thode  normale  de  filmage 
sont  indiqu^s  ci-dessous. 


□    Coloured  pages/ 
Pages  do  couieur 

I      I    Pages  damaged/ 


D 


n 


Pages  endommagies 

Pages  restored  and/or  laminated/ 
Pages  restaur^es  et/ou  pelliculdes 


I      I    Pages  discoloured,  stained  or  foxed/ 


Pages  d^color^es,  tacheties  ou  piquees 

Pages  detached/ 
Pages  ddtachees 

Showthrough/ 
Transparence 

Quality  of  prir 

Quality  inigale  de  I'impression 

Includes  supplementary  materii 
Comprend  du  matiriel  supplementaire 

Only  edition  available/ 
Seule  Edition  disponible 


r~n  Pages  detached/ 

rri  Showthrough/ 

r~|  Quality  of  print  varies/ 

nn  Includes  supplementary  material/ 

pn  Only  edition  available/ 


Pages  wholly  or  partially  obscured  by  errata 
slips,  tissues,  etc.,  have  been  refilmed  to 
ensure  the  best  possible  image/ 
Les  pages  totalement  ou  partiellement 
obscurcies  par  un  feuiltet  d'errata,  une  pelure, 
etc.,  cnt  iti  filmAes  A  nouveau  de  facon  i 
obtenir  la  meilleure  image  possible. 


Thair 
poMi 
ofthi 
filmin 


Origir 

bagin 

thala 

tion, 

oth«r 

first 

•ion, 

or  iliu 


Thoii 
•hali  I 
TINUi 
which 

Maps, 
diffan 
antiral 
baginr 
right  a 
raquiri 
matha 


This  item  is  filmed  at  the  reduction  ratio  chocked  below/ 

Ce  document  est  film*  au  taux  de  reduction  indiquA  ci-dessous. 

10X  14X  18X  22X 


26X 


30X 


J 


12X 


16X 


20X 


24  X 


28X 


32X 


Th«  copy  fiim«d  h«r«  has  b««n  raproduccd  thanks 
to  tha  ganarosity  of: 

University  of  British  Columbia  Library 


L'axamplaira  filmA  fut  raproduit  grica  i  la 
gifiArosit*  da: 

Univariity  of  British  Columbia  Library 


Tha  imagas  appaaring  hara  ara  tha  bast  quality 
possibia  consldaring  tha  condition  and  lagibility 
of  tha  original  copy  and  In  kaaping  with  tha 
filming  contract  spacif Icatlons. 


Las  Imagas  suivantas  ont  4t*  raproduitas  avac  la 
plus  grand  soln,  compta  tanu  da  la  condition  at 
da  la  nattat*  da  l'axamplaira  film*,  at  •n 
conformit*  avac  las  conditions  du  contrat  da 
filmaga. 


Original  coplas  in  printad  papar  covars  ara  fllmad 
baginning  with  tha  front  covar  and  anding  on 
tha  last  paga  with  a  printad  or  illustratad  impras- 
sion.  or  tha  back  covar  whan  approprlata.  All 
othar  original  coplas  ara  fllmad  baginning  on  tha 
first  paga  with  a  printad  or  illustratad  Impras- 
sion.  and  anding  on  tha  last  paga  with  a  printad 
or  illustratad  imprassion. 


Tha  last  racordad  frama  on  aach  microfiche 
shall  contain  tha  symbol  ^^-  (moaning  "CON- 
TINUED "),  or  tha  symbol  y  (moaning  "END"), 
whichavar  applias. 


Las  axamplalras  orlginaux  dont  la  couvartura  an 
papiar  ast  ImprimAa  sont  filmis  an  commandant 
par  ia  pramlar  plat  at  an  tarmlnant  soit  par  la 
darnlAra  paga  qui  comporta  una  amprainta 
d'Imprasslon  ou  d'illustration,  soit  par  la  sacond 
plat,  salon  la  cas.  Tous  las  autras  axamplalras 
orlginaux  sont  filmAs  an  commandant  par  ia 
pramlAra  paga  qui  comporta  una  amprainta 
d'Imprasslon  ou  d'illustration  at  an  tarmlnant  par 
la  darnlAra  paga  qui  comporta  una  talla 
amprainta. 

Un  das  symbolas  suivants  apparaftra  sur  la 
darniira  imaga  da  chaqua  microficha,  salon  la 
cas:  la  symbols  -^  signifis  "A  SUIVRE".  la 
symbols  ▼  signifis  "FIN". 


Msps,  platas,  charts,  ate,  may  ba  fllmad  at 
diffarant  reduction  ratios.  Thosa  too  larga  to  ba 
antiraly  included  in  one  exposure  ere  filmed 
beginning  in  the  upper  left  hand  corner,  left  to 
right  and  top  to  bottom,  as  many  frames  as 
rsquired.  The  following  diagrams  illustrate  the 
method: 


Lea  cartes,  planches,  tableaux,  etc.,  peuvent  Atre 
fiimAs  i  dee  taux  da  rMuction  diffArents. 
Lorsque  le  document  est  trop  grand  pour  Atra 
reprodult  en  un  ssul  clichA,  il  est  filmA  i  partir 
da  I'angle  supArleur  gauche,  de  gauche  k  droite, 
et  de  haut  en  bas,  en  prenant  ia  nombre 
d'images  nAcessaira.  Las  diagrammes  suivants 
illustrsnt  la  mAthode. 


1 

1 

a 

1 

t 

a 

4 

6 

e 

•(■  V 


*-» 


^ 


WfSiPMs(jj|HWNPF^ 


OF 


AN  AMERICAN  LADY: 


V 


WITH  SKETCHES  OF 


MANNERS  AND  SCENERY 


IN  AMERICA, 


A 4  THEY  EXISTED  PREVIOUS  TO  THE  REVOLUTION. 


BY  MRS,  GRANT, 

Inthor  of  "Lett&'sfrom  the  Mountains^"  Sfc.  ^v. 


NEW-YORK: 

PRINTED  FOR  SAMUEL  CAMPBELL, 
BY  D.  AND  G.  BRUCE. 

1809. 


f 


TO  THE  RlOHf  HONOURABLE 


i^^K 


SIR  WILLIAM  aRANT,  KNT.  ^^ 


\  iV « 


M/ISXER  OF  THE  R0LLS. 


IT  is  very  probable  that  thefriendSf  by  whose 
salicitathms  I  was  induced  to  arrange  in  the  fol- 
lowing pages  my  early  recollectionSf  stndied  more 
the  amusement  I  should  derive  from  executing  this 
task,  than  any  pleasure  they  could  expect  from  ita 
completion. 

The  principal  object  of  this  work  is  to  record 
the  few  incidentSy  and  the  many  virtues,  which  di- 
versified and  distinguished  the  life  of  a  most  valued 
friend.  Though  no  manners  could  be  more  simple, 
no  notions  more  primitive  than  those  which  prevail- 
ed among  her  associates,  the  stamp  of  originality 
with.which  they  were  marked,  and  the  peculiar  cir- 
cumstances in  which  they  stood,  both  with  regard  to 
my  friend,  and  the  infant  society  to  which  they  be- 
longed, will,  I  fatter  myself,  give  an  interest  with 
reflecting  minds,  even  to  this  desultory  narrative; 
and  the  miscellany  of  description,  observation,  and 
detail,  ivhich  it  involves. 

If  truth  both  of  feeling  and  narration,  which 
are  its  only  merits,  prove  a  sufficient  counterbal- 
ance to  carelesness,  laxity f  and  incoherance  ofstyle^ 


IV 

its  prominent  faults,  I  may  Denture  to  invite  you^ 
when  you  unbend  from  the  useful  and  honourable 
labours  to  which  your  valuable  time  is  devoted,  to 
trace  this  feeble  delineation  of  an  excellent,  though 
unembellished  character;  and  of  the  rapid  pace 
with  which  an  infant  society  has  urged  on  its  prO' 
gress  from  virtuous  simplicity,  to  the  dangerous 
*^ knowledge  of  good  and  evil:"  from  tremulous 
imbecility  to  self-sufficient  independence. 

To  be  faithful,  a  delineation  must  necessarily  be 
minute.  Yet  if  this  sketch,  with  all  its  imperfec- 
tions, be  honoured  by  your  indulgent  perusal,  such 
condescension  of  time  and  talent  must  certainly  be 
admired,  and  may  perhaps  be  imitated  by  others* 

I  am,  Sir,  very  respectfully, 

^.'     .'  Your  faithful  humble  servant, 


I ' 


THE  AUTHOR. 


.\  ■ 


IX>NDON,  October  180&. 


V .. . 


■",  \  > 


.     .\  •.'. ) 


,*  * 


)  'I 


,    (     M 


I  m  I      n 


ri-.n^-f^ii 


I  1  ■ 


CONTENTS. 


^r  -Mv 


Trial  I 


v.'r . 


.l.sy-. 


.>,-» 


^■U)  '■» 


IMTKODUCTION,  -        *-  -  •-  Page  1 

CHAP.  1. 

Province  of  New-York.**-Opigif  of  the  settlement  of  Albany.— 
Singular  poMevsion  held  by  the  jj^atrBOB^— Aocount  of  Ua  ten- 
ants, .-....-5 

CHAP-  If.. 

Aooowit  of  the  Fire  NatioDSj,  or  Mohxiwk  Indians.^— BuiVUng;  of 
the  fort  at  Albany .-^olin  and  Philif  Sehnyler,  -         8 

CHAP.  WL 

Colonel  Sehayler  persvadeaibur  Sachema-to  aaoompaaj  him  tft 
England.— Their  reception  aad  return,  -  -        12 

CHAP.  IV. 

Return  ofColoite)  Sahoyler  and  the  SAehema  to  the  intf^rioi'.^^ 
iiiterary  aeouiuifOHa.— Distiaguishei  aad  inttnicta  hia  fav««r- 
ite  niece.— Manners  of  the  aettlerf,  -  -  •    16 

CHAP.  V. 

State  of  religioa  among  tbe  setJtleni-<-^Batrw!tion  of  children  de- 
volved on  females— -to  wltom  the  ohiirge  of  gardening,  &c.  was 
also  committed.— 'Skctah  of  the  state  of  the  society  at  New- 
Tork,  -  -  -  -  -  -  -     20 

CHAP.  VI. 

Description  of  Albany.— Maimer  of  living  there.— Hermitage, 

&c. 2» 

CHAP.  VH. 

fjentle  treatment  of  slaves  among  the  Albanians.— Consequent 
att^c^nen^  of  domestics.— Renectiona  OB  servitude,       -    3& 

CHAP.  Vm.  ,f.;.,:  1 

Education  and  early  habits  of  Ute  Albanians  described,       -    32 

CHAP.  IX. 
Description  of  the  maimer  ia  whieh  the  Indian  traders  set  out 
on  their  first  adventure,.  -  •  -  -  37 

CHAP.  X. 
Marriages,  amusementay  rural  exoursioni!^  &e.  Attiong  the  Alba- 
nians,      .----.  ."^  47 

CHAP.  XI. 

Winter  amusements  of  the  Albanians,  Stc.  -  >        54 

CHAP.  XII 

LayBrothera^-Catbttnav— DcrtJi4h«d.Iadian%      •>  '-,      59 

CHAP.  xiir. 

Piwgresa  of haDwliedgt.w4ndkMi manneit^      .."-t,.  t-    .       65 


VI 


CHAP.  XIV. 

Man-iagc  Df  Miss  Scliuyler. — Description  of  the  Flats    -        7  J 

CHAP.  XV. 

Character  of  Philip  Schuyler. — His  management  of  the  In- 
dians,       >-....  .78 

CHAP.  XVI. 

Account  of  the  three  brothers,      -  -  -  -        82 

CHAP.  XVII. 

The  house  and  rural  economy  of  the  Plats— Birds  and  in- 
sects,        -  -  .  .  .  .  -        85 

Description  of  Colonel  Schuyler's  bar^,  the  common,  anii  its 
various  uses,  -  -  -  -  -  -91 

CHAP.  XIX. 
Milita.-y  preparations.— ^Wsinterested  conduct,  the  surest  roftd 
to  popularity. — Fidelity  rtf  the  Mohawks,  -  -     95 

/  CHAP.  XX. 

/  Account  of  a  refractory  warrior,  and  of  the  spirit  which  still 
^''       pervaded  the  New-England  provinces,    -  -  -     99 

CHAP.  XXI. 

BisUnguishing  charficteristics  of  the  New-York  colonists,  to. 
what  owing.— Hugonots  and  Palatines,  their  character,      lQ3 

CHAP.  XXU. 

A  child  still-born.— Adoption  of  children  common  in  the  pro- 
vince.—Madame*s  visit  to  Ntew^York,  -    1     •-        105 

CHAP.  xxm. 

Colonel  Schuyler's  partiality  to  the  military  children  successive* 
ly  ado])tedL— Indian  character  falsely  charged  with  idle- 
ness,       -  -  -  -  -  -  -        109 

CHAP.  XXIV. 

Progress  of  civilization  in  Europe.— -Northern  nations  instruct- 
in  the  arts  of  life  by  those  they  had  subdued,  -        114 

CHAP.  XXV.  ,..;    V;--',;^;'-   ■ 

Means  by  which  the  independence  of  the  Indian^  waft'  firijit' di- 
minished, -  -     •       -  -  -  -        120 

CHAP.  XXVI.  .  J   ,/    , 

Peculiar  attractions  of  the  Indian  mode  of  life.— Account  of  ft 
settler  who  resided  some  time  among  them,  -  -        124i 

CHAP.  XXVII.    ' '  *  '■•"'■-  '-  -'"^'^^  y-* 

f  hdians  only  to  be  attached  by  being  converted.— The  abortive 
expedition  of  Mons.  Barre.— Ironical  sketch  of  an  Indian,  12^ 

CHAP.  XXVIII. 
Management  of  the  Mohawks  by  the  influence  of  the  christian 
Indians,  •  -  -  -  -.-134 

CHAP.  XXIX. 

.Madame's  adopted  children.- Anecdote  of  sister  Susan,     '  140 

CHAP.  XXX. 

Death  of  ^oung  Philip  Schuyler. — ^Aocount  of  his  fgmily,  and  of 
the  society  at  the  Flf  t»,  -  •■  ;  *'        1^ 


CHAP.  XXXI. 

Family  details,       ...  -."itf  fi^ij  •  i\>  xfr-JlJ 

CHAP.  xxxn.  -  ij 

Resources  of  Madame.— Provincial  customs,      -  -        160 

CHAP.  XXXIH.  tirbfcl^ 

Followers  of  the  army.— Inconveniences  resulting  from  such,  165 

CHAP.  XXXIV. 

Arrival  of  a  new  regiment. — ^Domine*  Freylinghausen,       '    170 

CHAP.  XXXV. 

Plays  acted. — Displeasure  of  the  Domine,       ■   -       {    ..     '  174 

CHAP.  XXXVI. 

Return  of  Madame.— The  Domine  leaves  his  people.— Falfil- 
ment  of  his  Predictions^  -        -    -  -  .         ]J5 

'CHAP.  XXXVn.-    >•■„•■..•  r  ^.?r:f-i.-'^l/ 
Death  of  Colonel  Schuyler,  ;-    ;       -  -  -        185 

CHAP,  xxxvin. 

Mrs.  Schuyler's  arrangement  nqd  conduct  after  the  Colonel's 
death,      -•„«.    -  -  -  -,;....,-..,      .        189 

CHAP.  XXXIX. 
Mohawk  Indians. — The  Superintendant,  ^    j,    ;•  ^         -        193 

C»AP.,XL.  ■        "'  -■  ~"  '    ■-■  " 
General  Abercrombie.-^Lord  Howe,(    .  '  v  jiV  r*u.'/;j-sg  elH 

CHAP.  XI4. 
Total  defieat  at  Tieobderoga.T-Gene'Tal  Liee.*-Hiimamtj  of  Ma- 
dame,     -  -  -  -  .  >  .       304 

CHAP.  XUI. 

The  family  of  Madame's  sister.— The  death  of  the  latter,    208 

CHAP.  XLIII.  .  ,, 

Further  successes  of  the  British  arms.—- A  Misdonary.-i— Coirt- 

landt  Schuyler,  -  -  -  .        -  -       212 

CHAP,  XUV..  "  '.  '  *'^ 

Burning  of  the  house  at  the  Flats.<^Ma(lame's  removal.— Jour- 
ney of  the  Author,        -  -  .  -  .       218 

J      chap:  xi^v. 

Continuation  of  the  journey. — ArrivlsS  at  Osvegc-^Begulatiohs, 
studies,  and  amusements  there.  -  -  ■        222 

CHAP.  XLVI. 

Benefit  of  select  reading. — Hunting  excursion,  -  •        230 

CHAP.  XLVII. 
■Gardening  and  agriculture. — Return  of  the  Autlior  to  Alba- 
ny» 234 

CHAP.  XLVm. 
Madame's  family  and  society  described,  -         .  -        238 

CHAP.  XUX. 

^r  JefFry  Amherst.- Mutiny. — Indian  war,       •■  -        S46 

CHAP.  L. 

Pondiac,— .Sir  Robert  D.  •  *  -  ^  >«       251 


}  i 


■1  > 

i 


.;4 


■' 


vni 


CHAP.  Lf.  V 

XWath  of  Captain  Dalziel.— Sadden  decease  of  an  iMfem  «hief. 
—Madame. — Her  pretegtes,  ••    j       •  -  -       257 

CHAP.  LIJ. 

Madame's  popularity .•««-^«hAng!e  of  prisoners,  -        264 

CHAP  LIH. 
Return  of  the  55th  rcghncntto  Burope. — Privates  sent  to  Pen- 
aacola,     -  -  -  -  -  -  -        ^66 

CHAP.UV. 

A  aew  property.— Visioaary  pl»H9,         -      .     -  •■     .374 

CHAP.  LV., 

BjekuratattheFl^U,.         -  -t       ;  -     [vu*:,'  ; ,-       8a» 

CHAP.  LVl.  i      1 

Melancholy  pre8ages.-r*Ttiylittl6nee  of' tke  people,        -       385 
U I       ■  CHAP.  LVHu'-;.'^  '  *  I  l-^txir  \->  iJUoQ. 

Settlers  ofa  new  descj(il^fkMl>-rMMlA*ie's  chaplain,      -       391 

'  CHAP.  liVIIE. 

Mode  of  conveying  timber  in  rafts  down  the  river*       •*  '     399 

J  .C^AP,  LIX.    '  ..       . 

The  swamp.— A  discovery.  -  -  -  -       363 

CHAP.  XX, 
Mrs.  Schuyler's  View  of  the  OMtiiMntel^  Politics,    h.  j.  •)  t      309 

CilAt.  LXl. 

IKMe^ti^c^tbe-Bmedtuigttf^crfthe  Imob  HvdboM't'Bh^Vydtl 

CHAP.  Lxn. 

Departure  from  Albany.— 4>rigin  of  (Ike  State  o£  Vermont,  315 

CHAP.  Lxnr. 

General  Reflections,         -  -  -  •  -       321 

....;.-.. .,:.r....wc     CHAP.  Lxrr.  ''  -^  =^-*-,^' 5; '  •    ■■ 


Reflections  continued, 


CBAP.  LXV. 


829 
334 


l%etch  of  the  settlement  of  Pennsylvania    \^, '  j-V^'  *  vV' 

CHAPy  LXVI. , 

Prospects  Iwis^htening;  in  .Bcitiah  America^— Desirable  c.ovDtry . 
on  the  hiterior  lakesj    -  -  -  -  -        ?4x 

UYJy   lyiHJ 

•ittjf  *..a*  •!>{?  f  f\   rX   lo  .r-. :'r.'M— ■  ;-';<.vJ  }ah<?*,   Kn   •^nui'i'j-u^^- 
ttl;  -  -  •  -  -       ._   -  /^ .  . 

C«i-U     •   -.  -       -itST  iriau!7.-~.\(fil:jlv!^----.,^'i3<fmA  vVftit.-jrit: 


< 


MEMOIRS 


/'^ 


OF    AN 


AMERICAN  LADY. 


INTRODUCTION. 


To 


DEAR    SIR, 


O 


'THJ^RS  as  well  as  you  have  expressed  a  wish 
to  sec  a  memoir  of  my  earliest  and  most  valuable 
friend. 

To  gratify  you  and  them  I  feel  many  induce- 
jneuts,  and  see  many  objections. 

To  comply  with  any  wish  of  your*s  is  one  strong 
inducement. 

To  please  myself  with  the  recollection  of  past 
happiness  and  departed  worth  is  another ;  and  to 
benefit  those  into  whose  hands  this  imperfect  sketch 
may  fall,  is  a  third.  For  the  authentic  record  ot 
an  exemplary  life,  though  delivered  in  the  most 
unadorned  manner,  or  even  degraded  by  poverty 
of  style,  or  uncouthness  of  narration,  has  an  at- 
traction for  the  uncorrupted  mind. 

It  is  the  rare  lot  of  some  exalted  characters,  by 
the  united  power  of  virtue  and  of  talents,  to  soar 
above  their  fellow-mortals,  and  leave  a  luminous 
tract  behind,  on  which  successive  ages  gaze  with 
wonder  and  delight. 

But  the  sweet  influence  of  these  benign  stars,  that 
now  and  then  enlighten  the  pagq  of  history,  is  par- 
tial and  unfrequent. 

B 


2 


MEMOIRS  OF 


They  to  whom  the  most  important  pans  on  the 
stage  of  life  are  alotted,  if  possessed  of  abilities 
undirected  by  virtue,  are  too  often 

«  Wise  to  no  purpose,  artful  to  uo  end," 

that  is  really  good  and  desirable. 

They,  again,  where  virtue  is  not  supported  by 
wisdom,  are  often,  with  the  best  intentions,  made 
subservient  to  the  short-sighted  craft  of  the  artful 
and  designing.  Hence,  though  we  may  be  at  times 
dazzled  with  the  blaze  of  heroic  achievement,  or 
contemplate  with  a  purer  satisfactioii  those  "  awful 
fathers  of  mankind,"  by  whom  nations  were  civi- 
lized, equitable  dominion  established,  or  liberty  res- 
tored :  yet,  after  all,  the  crimes  and  miseries  of 
mankind  form  such  prominent  features  of  the  his- 
tory of  every  country,  that  humanity  sickens  at  the 
retrospect,  and  misanthropy  finds  an  excuse  amidst 
the  laurels  of  the  hero,  and  the  deep-laid  schemes 
of  the  politician : 

*•  And  yet  this  partial  view  of  tilings 

«« Is  surely  not  the  best."  Burns. 

Where  shall  avc  seek  the  antidote  to  this  chilling 
gloom  left  on  the  mind  by  these  bustling  intricate 
scenes,  where  the  best  characters,  goaded  on  by 
furious  factions  or  dire  necessity,  become  involved 
in  crimes  that  their  souls  abhor  ? 

.It  is  the  contemplation  of  the  peaceful  virtues 
in  the  genial  atmosphere  of  private  life,  that  can 
best  reconcile  us  to  our  nature,  and  quiet  the  tur- 
bulent emotions  excited  by 

*♦  The  madness  of  the  crowd." 

But  vice,  folly,  and  vanity  are  so  noisy,  so  restless, 
so  ready  to  rush  into  public  view,  and  so  adapted 
to  afford  food  for  malevolent  curiosity,  that  the 
small  still  voice  of  virtue,  active  in  its  own  sphere, 
but  unwilling  to  quit  it,  's  drowned  in  their  tumult. 
This  is  a  remedy,  however, 

*'  Not  obvious,  not  obtrusive." 


AN  AMERICAN  LADY. 


S 


If  we  would  counteract  the  baleful  influence  of 
public  vice  by  the  contemplation  of  private  worth, 
we  must  penetrate  into  its  retreats,  and  not  be  de- 
terred from  attending  to  its  simple  details  by  th(5 
want  of  that  glare  and  bustle  with  which  a  fictitious 
or  artificial  character  is  generally  surrounded. 

But  in  this  wide  field  of  speculation  one  might 
wander  out  of  sight  of  the  original  subject.  Let 
me  then  resume  it,  and  return  to  my  objections. 
Of  these  the  first  and  greatest  is  the  dread  of  beinp; 
inaccurate.  Embellished  facts,  a  mixture  of  truth 
and  fiction,  or  what  we  sometimes  meet  with,  a 
fictitious  superstructure  built  on  a  foundation  of 
reality,  would  be  detestable  on  the  score  of  bad 
taste,  though  no  moral  sense  were  concerned  or 
consulted.  *Tis  walking  on  a  river  half  frozen  that 
betrays  your  footing  every  moment.  By  these  re- 
pulsive artifices  no  person  of  real  discernment  is 
for  a  moment  imposed  upon.  You  do  not  know  ex- 
actly which  part  of  the  narrative  is  false  ;  but  you 
are  sure  it  is  not  all  true,  and  therefore  distrust 
what  is  genuine,  where  it  occurs.  For  this  reason 
a  fiction,  happily  told,  takes  a  greater  hold  of  the 
mind  than  a  narrative  of  facts,  evidently  embellish- 
ed and  interwoven  with  inventions. 

I  do  not  mean  to  discredit  my  own  veracity.  I 
certainly  have  no  intention  to  relate  any  thing  that 
is  not  true.  Yet  in  the  dim  distance  of  near  forty 
years,  unassisted  by  written  memorials,  shall  I  not 
mistake  dates,  misplace  facts,  and  omit  circum- 
stances that  form  essential  links  in  the  chain  of 
narration  ?  Thirty  years  since,  when  I  expressed 
a  wish  to  do  what  I  am  now  about  to  attempt,  how 
differently  should  I  have  executed  it.  A  warm 
heart,  a  vivid  imagination,  and  a  tenacious  memory, 
were  then  all  filled  with  a  theme  which  I  could  not 
touch  without  kindling  into  an  enthusiasm,  sacred 
at.  once  to  virtue  and  to  friendship.  Venerated 
friend  of  my  youth,  my  guide,  and  my  instructress, 
arc  then  the  dregs  of  an  rnfocbled  mind,  the  worn 


i 


If 

il:; 


I 


ill 


I 


4  MEMOIRS  OF 

affections  of  a  wounded  heart,  the  imperfect  efforts 
of  a  decaying  memory,  all  that  remain  to  consecrate 
thy  remembrance,  to  make  known  thy  worth,  and 
to  lay  on  thy  tomb  the  offering  of  gratitude  ? 

My  friend's  life,  besides  being  mostly  passed  iit 
unruffled  peace  and  prosperity,  affords  few  of  those 
vicissitudes  which  astonish  and  amuse.  It  is  from 
her  relations,  to  those  with  whom  her  active  bene- 
volence connected  her,  that  the  chief  interest  of 
her  story  (if  story  it  may  be  called)  arises.  This 
includes  that  of  many  persons,  obscure  indeed  but 
for  the  light  which  her  regard  and  beneficence  re- 
ilected  upon  them.  Yet  without  those  subordinate 
persons  in  the  drama,  the  action  of  human  life,  es- 
pecially such  a  life  as  her's,  cannot  be  carried  on. 
Those  can  neither  appear  with  grace,  nor  be  omit- 
ted with  propriety.  Then,  remote  and  retired  as 
lier  situation  was,  the  variety  of  nations  and  charac- 
ters, of  tongues  and  of  complexions,  wit!i  which  her 
public  spirit  and  private  benevolence  connected 
her,  might  appear  wonderful  to  those  unacquainted 
with  the  country  and  the  times  in  which  she  lived  ; 
without  a  pretty  distinct  view  of  which  my  narra- 
tive would  be  unintelligible.  I  must  be  excused 
too  for  dwelling,  at  times,  on  the  recollection  of  a 
state  of  society  so  peculiar,  so  utterly  dissimilar  to 
any  other  that  I  have  heard,  or  read  of,  that  it  ex- 
hibits human  nature  in  a  new  aspect,  and  is  so  far 
an  object  of  rational  curiosity,  as  well  as  a  kind  of 
phenomenon  in  the  history  of  colonization.  I  fore- 
warn the  reader  not  to  look  for  lucid  order  in  the 
narration,  or  intinuite  connection  between  its  parts. 
I  have  no  authorities  to  refer  to,  no  coeval  witnesses 
of  facts  to  consult.  In  regard  to  the  companions 
of  my  youth,  I  sit  like  the  "  Voice  of  Cona,"  alone 
on  the  heath  ;  and,  like  him  too,  must  muse  in 
silence,  till  at  intervals  the  "  light  of  my  soul 
arises,"  before  I  can  call  attention  to  "  a  tale  of 
other  times,"  in  which  several  particulars  relative 
to  my  friend's  ancestry  must  necessarily  be  included. 


! 


AN  AMERICAN  LADY. 


li  •»• 


CHAP.  I. 


f<i 


.-> , 


i'.jf^ 


Province  of  New- York.— Origin  of  the  settlement  of  Albainr.— 
Singular  Possession  held  by  the  Patroon.-^Aocount  of  his 
Tenants. 


I 


*  _f 


T  is  well  known  that  the  province  of  New-York, 
anciently  called  Munhattoes  by  the  Indians,  was 
originally  settled  by  a  Dutch  colony,  which  came 
from  Holland,  I  thinli,  in  the  time  of  Charles  the 
Second.  Finding  the  country  to  their  liking,  they 
were  followed  by  others  more  wealthy  and  better 
informed.  Indeed  some  of  the  early  emigrants 
appear  to  have  been  people  respectable  both  from 
their  family  and  character.  Of  these  the  principal 
were  the  Cuylers,  the  Schuylers,  the  Renselaers, 
the  Delancys,  the  Cortlandts,  the  Timbrooks,  and 
the  Beckmans,  who  have  all  of  them  been  since 
distinguished  in, the  late  civil  wars,  either  as  per- 
secuted loyalists  or  triumphant  patriots.  I  do  not 
precisely  recollect  the  motives  assigned  for  the 
voluntary  exile  of  persons  who  were  evidently  in 
circumstances  that  might  admit  of  their  living  in 
comfort  at  home,  but  am  apt  to  think  that  the  early 
uettlers  were  those  who  adhered  to  the  interest  of 
the  Stadtholder's  family,  a  party  which,  during  the 
minority  of  King  William,  was  almost  persecuted 
by  the  high  republicans.  They  who  came  over  at 
a  later  period  probably  belonged  to  the  party  which 
opposed  the  StadthoUler,  and  which  was  then  in  its 
turn  depressed.  These  persons  afterwards  distin- 
guished themselves  by  an  aversion,  almost  amount- 
ing to  antipathy,  to  the  British  army,  and  indeed 
to  all  the  British  colonists.  Their  notions  were 
mean  and  contracted  ;  their  manners  blunt  and 
austere  ;  and  their  habits  sordid  and  parsimonious  : 
as  the  settlement  began  to  extend  they  retired,  and 
formed  new  establishments,  afterwards  called  Fish 
kill,  Esopus,  Sec. 

B  2 


ill, 


'1' 


!  H' 


V 


M 


11 


1 


6  MEMOIRS  OF 

To  the  Schuylers,  Cuylers,  Delancys,  Cortlandts, 
and  a  few  others,  this  description  did  by  no  means 
apply.  Yet  they  too  bore  about  them  the  tokens  of 
former  affluence  and  respectability,  such  as  family 
plate,  portraits  of  their  ancestors  executed  in  a 
superior  style,  and  great  numbers  of  original  paint- 
ings, some  of  which  were  much  admired  by  ac- 
knowledged judges.  Of  these  the  subjects  were 
generally  taken  from  sacred  history. 

I  do  not  recollect  the  exact  time,  but  think  it 
was  during  the  last  years  of  Charles  the  Second, 
that  a  settlement  we  then  possessed  at  Surinam 
was  exchanged  for  the  extensive  (indeed  at  that 
time  boundless)  province  of  Munhattoes,  which, 
in  compliment  to  the  then  heir  apparent,  was  called 
New-York.  Of  the  part  of  that  country  then  ex- 
plored, the  most  fertile  and  beautiful  was  situated 
far  inland,  on  the  banks  of  the  Hudson's  River. 
This  copious  and  majestic  stream  is  navigable  170 
miles  from  its  mouth  for  vessels  of  60  or  70  tons 
burthen.  Near  the  head  of  it,  as  a  kind  of  barrier 
against  the  natives,  and  a  central  resort  for  traders, 
the  foundation  was  laid  of  a  town  called  Oranien- 
burgh,  and  afterwards,  by  the  British,  Albany. 

After  the  necessary  precaution  of  erecting  a 
small  stockaded  fort  for  security,  a  church  was 
built  in  the  centre  of  the  intended  town,  which 
served  in  different  respects  as  a  kind  of  land-mark. 
A  gentleman  of  the  name  of  Renselaer  was  con- 
sidered as  in  a  manner  lord  paramount  of  this  city. 
A  pre-eminence  which  his  successor  still  enjoys, 
both  with  regard  to  the  town  and  the  lands  adjacent. 
The  original  proprietor  having  obtained  from  the 
high  and  mighty  states  a  grant  of  lands,  which, 
beginning  at  the  church,  extended  twelve  miles  in 
every  direction,  forming  a  manor  of  twenty-four 
Dutch  miles  in  length,  the  same  in  breadth,  inclu- 
ding lands  not  only  of  the  best  quality  of  any  in  the 
province,  but  tlie  most  happily  situated  both  for  the 
purpose  of  commerce  and  agriculture.     This  great 


1 


AN  AMERICAN  LADY. 


no  means 


proprietor  was  looked  up  to  as  much  as  republicans 
in  a  new  country  could  be  supposed  to  look  up  to 
any  one.  He  was  called  the  Patroon,  a  designation 
tantamount  to  lord  of  the  manor.  Yet  in  the  dis- 
tribution of  these  lands,  the  sturdy  Belgian  spirit 
of  independence  set  limits  to  the  power  and  profits 
of  this  lord  of  the  forests,  as  he  might  then  be 
called.  None  of  these  lands  were  either  sold  or 
alienated.  The  more  wealthy  settlers,  as  the  Schuy- 
lers,  Cuylers,  &c.  took  very  extensive  leases  of 
the  fertile  plains  along  the  river,  with  boundless 
liberty  of  woods  and  pasturage,  to  the  westward. 
The  terms  were,  that  the  lease  should  hold  while 
water  runs  and  grass  grows,  and  the  landlord  to 
receive  the  tenth  sheaf  of  every  kind  of  grain  the 
ground  produces.  Thus  ever  accommodating  the 
rent  to  the  fertility  of  the  soil,  and  changes  of  the 
seasons,  you  may  suppose  the  tenants  did  not  great- 
ly fear  a  landlord,  who  could  neither  remove  them, 
nor  heighten  their  rents.  Thus,  without  the  pride 
of  property,  they  had  all  the  independence  of  pro- 
prietors. They  were  like  German  princes,  who, 
after  furnishing  their  contingent  to  the  Emperor, 
might  make  war  on  him  when  they  chose.  Besides 
the  profits  (yearly  augmenting^  which  the  patroon 
drew  from  his  ample  possessions,  he  held  in  his 
own  hands  an  extensive  and  fruitful  demesne.  Yet 
preserving  in  a  great  measure  the  simple  and  fru- 
gal habits  of  his  ancestors,  his  wealth  was  not  an 
object  of  envy,  nor  a  source  of  corruption  to  his 
fellow-citizens.  To  the  northward  of  these  bounds, 
and  at  the  southern  extremity  also,  the  Schuylcrs 
and  Cuylers  held  lands  of  their  own.  But  the  only 
other  great  landholders  I  remember,  holding  their 
land  by  those  original  tenures,  were  Philips  and 
Cortlandt ;  their  lands  lay  also  on  the  Hudson's 
River,  halfway  down  to  New-York,  and  were  de- 
nominated Philips*  and  Cortlaudt's  manors.  At 
the  time  of  the  first  settling  of  the  country  the  In- 
dians were  numerous  and  powerful  along  all  the? 


[CT 


it 


ti 


msf-'Ktmssfmm' 


ll 


w 


•\ 


ll 


1'^ 


.. 


8 


MEMOIRS  OF 


river ;  but  they  consisted  of  wandering  families, 
who,  though  they  affixed  some  sort  of  local  boun- 
daries for  distinguishing  the  hunting  grounds  of 
each  tribe,  could  not  be  said  to  inhabit  any  place. 
The  cool  and  crafty  Dutch  governors  being  unable 
to  cope  with  them  in  arms,  purchased  from  them 
the  most  valuable  tracts  for  some  petty  considera- 
lion.  They  affected  great  friendship  for  them ; 
;ind,  while  conscious  of  their  own  weakness,  were 
careful  not  to  provoke  hostilities  ;  and  they,  silent- 
ly and  insensibly,  established  themselves  to  the 
west.  ... 


>fl' 


CHAP.  II. 


*  '■ 


Account  of  the  Five  Nations,  or  Mohawk  Indians.— Builduig 
of  the  Fort  at  Albany  .—John  and  Philip  Schuyler. 

UN  the  Mohawk  River,  about  forty  miles  distant 
from  Albany,  there  subsisted  a  confederacy  of  In- 
dian tribes,  of  a  very  different  character  from  those 
mentioned  in  the  preceding  chapter  ;  too  sagacious 
to  be  deceived,  and  too  powerful  to  be  eradicated. 
These  were  the  once  renowned  five  nations,  whom 
any  one,  who  remembers  them  while  they  were  a 
people,  will  hesitate  to  call  savages.  Were  they 
savages  who  had  fixed  habitations;  who  cultivated 
rich  fields  ;  who  built  castles,  (for  so  they  called 
their  not  incommodious  wooden  houses,  surround- 
ed with  palisadoes  ;)  who  planted  maize  and  beans, 
and  showed  considerable  ingenuity  in  constructing 
and  adorning  their  canoes,  arms,  and  clothing  r 
They  who  had  wise  though  unwritten  laws,  and 
conducted  their  wars,  treaties,  and  alliances  with 
deep  and  sound  policy  ;  they  whose  eloquence  was 
bold,  nervous,  and  animated  \  whose  language  was 


'ii: 


AN  AMERICAN  LADY.         '       9 

Honorous,  musical,  and  expressive  ;  who  possessed 
generous  and  elevated  sentiments,  heroic  fortitude, 
and  unstained  probity:  Were  these  indeed  savages  ? 
The  difference 

"  Of  scent  the  headlong  lioness  between 

"  And  hoaud  sagacious,  on  the  tainted  green," 

is  not  greater  than  that  of  the  Mohawks  in  point  of 
civility  and  capacity,  from  other  American  tribes, 
among  whom  indeed,  existed  a  far  greater  diver- 
sity of  character,  language,  &c.  than  Europeans 
seem  to  be  aware  of.  This  little  tribute  lo  the  me- 
mory of  a  people  who  have  been,  while  it  sooths 
the  pensile  recollections  of  the  writer,  is  not  so 
foreign  to  the  subject  as  it  may  at  first  appear.  So 
much  of  the  peace  and  safety  of  this  infant  com- 
munity depended  on  the  friendship  and  alliance  of 
these  generous  tribes,  and  to  conciliate  and  retain 
their  affections  so  much  address  was  necessary,  that 
common  characters  were  unequal  to  the  task. 
Minds  liberal  and  upright,  like  those  I  am  about  to 
describe,  could  alone  excite  that  esteem,  and  pre- 
serve that  confidencq,  which  were  essential  towards 
retaining  the  friendship  of  those  valuable  allies. 

From  the  time  of  the  great  rebellion,  so  many 
English  refugees  frequented  Holland,  that  the  lan- 
guage and  manners  of  our  country  became  familiar 
at  the  Hague,  particularly  among  the  Stadtholder*s 
party.  When  the  province  of  New-York  fell  un- 
der the  British  dominion,  it  became  necessary  that 
every  body  should  learn  our  language,  as  all  public 
busuiess  was  carried  on  in  the  English  tongue, 
which  they  did  the  more  willingly,  as,  after  the  re- 
volution, the  accession  of  the  Stadtholder  to  the 
English  crown  very  much  reconciled  them  to  our 
government ;  still,  however,  the  English  was  a  kind 
of  court  language,  little  spoken,  and  imperfectly 
understood  in  the  interior.  Those  who  brought 
with  them  the  French  and  English  languages  soon 
acquired  a  sway  oyer  their  less  enlightened  felloe 


mr 


I: 


P 


?(> 


MEMOIRS  OF 


t       f: 


•'^.;< 


II 
1 


ill 


.1'    I* 


•If. 


lie 


Ji 


ll'! 


i: 


settlers.     Of  this  number  were  the  Schuylers  and 
Cyylers,  two  families  among  whom  intellect  of  the 
superior  kind  seemed  an  inheritance,  and  whose  in- 
telligence and  liberality  of  mind,  fortified  by  well- 
grounded  principle,  carried  them  far  beyond  the 
petty  and  narrow  views  of  the  rest.     Habituated  at 
home  to  centre  all  wisdom  and  all  happiness  in  com- 
mercial advantages,  they  would  have  been  very  ill 
calculated  to  lay  the  foundation  of  an  infant  state 
in  a  country  that  afforded  plenty  and  content,  as 
the  reward  of  industry,  but  where  the  very  nature 
of  the  territory,  as  well  as  the  state  of  society,  pre- 
cluded great  pecuniary  acquisitions.     Their  object 
here  was  taming  savage  nature,  and  making  the 
boundless  wild  subservient  to  agricultural  purposes. 
Commercial  pursuits  were  a  distant  prospect ;  and 
before  they  became  of  consequence,  rural  habits 
had  greatly  changed  the  character  of  these  repub- 
licans.    But  the  commercial  spirit,  inherent  in  all 
true  Batavians,  only  slept  to  wake  again,  when  the 
avidity  of  gain  was  called  forth  by  the  temptation  of 
bartering  for  any  lucrative  commodity.     The  furs 
of  the  Indians  gave  this  occasion,  and  were  too  soon 
made  the  object  of  the  avidity  of  petty  traders.     To 
the  infant  settlement  at  Albany  the  consequences  of 
this  short-sighted  policy  might  have  proved  fatal, 
had  not  these  patriotic  leaders,  by  their  example  and 
influence,  checked  for  a  while  such  illiberal  and 
dangerous  practices.     It  is  a  fact  singular  and  worth 
attending  to,  from  the  lesson  it  exhibits,  that  in  all 
our  distant  colonies  there  is  no  other  instance  where 
a  considerable  tcv/n  and  prosperous  settlement  has 
arisen  and  flourished,  in  peace  and  safety,  in  the 
midst  of  nations  disposed  and  often  provoked  to 
hostility :  at  a  distance  from  the  protection  of  ships, 
and  from  the   only   fortified  city,  which,   always 
weakly  garrisoned  ,  was  little  fitted  to  awe  and  pro- 
tect the  whole  provincfe.     Let  it  be  remembered 
that  the  distance  from  New-York  to  Albany  is  170 
miles ;  and  that  in  the  intermediate  space,  at  the 


'i\ 


!• 


AN  AMERICAN  LADY. 


41 


period  of  which  I  speak,  there  was  not  one  town  or 
fortified  place.  The  shadow  of  a  palisadoed  fort,* 
which  then  existed  in  Albany,  was  occupied  by  a 
single  independent  company,  who  did  duty,  but 
were  dispersed  through  the  town,  working  at  va- 
rious trades  ;  so  scarce  indeed  were  artizans  in  this 
community,  that  a  tradesman  might  in  these  days 
ask  any  wages  he  chose. 

To  return  to  this  settlement,  which  evidently 
owed  its  security  to  the  wisdom  of  its  leaders,  who 
always  acted  on  the  simple  maxim  that  honesty  is 
the  best  policy  ;  several  miles  north  from  Albany  a 
considerable  possession,  called  the  Flats,  was  in- 
habited by  Colonel  Philip  Schuyler,  one  of  the 
most  enlightened  men  in  the  province.  This  being 
a  frontier,  he  would  have  found  it  a  very  dangerous 
situation  had  he  not  been  a  person  of  singular 
worth,  fortitude,  and  wisdom.  Were  I  not  afraid  of 
tiring  my  reader  with  a  detail  of  occurrences  which, 
taking  place  beforie  the  birth  of  my  friend,  might  seem 
irrelevant  to  the  present  purpose,  I  could  relate 
many  instances  almost  incredible,  of  the  power  of 
mind  displayed  by  this  gentleman  in  governing  the 
uninstructed  without  coercion  or  legal  right.  He 
possessed  this  species  of  power  in  no  common  de- 
gree ;  his  influence,  with  that  of  his  brother  John 
Schuyler,  was  exerted  to  conciliate  the  wandering- 
tribes  of  Indians ;  and  by  fair  traffic,  for  he  too  was 
a  trader,  and  by  fair  liberal  dealing,  they  attained 
their  object.  They  also  strengthened  the  league 
already  formed  with  the  five  Mohawk  nations,  by 
procuring  for  them  some  assistance  against  their 
enemies,  the  Onondagoes  of  the  Lakes. 

Queen  Anne  had  by  this  time  succeeded  to  the 
Stadtholder.     The  gigantic  ambition  of  Lewis  the 

.  •  It  may  be  worth  noting  that  Captain  Massey,  who  com- 
manded tiiis  non-effective  company  lor  many  years,  was  tlie 
lather  of  Mrs.  Lenox,  an  inestimable  cliaracter,  well  known 
for  her  literary  productions,  auU  for  being  the  friend  and  pro- 
tegd'e  of  Doctor  Johnson. 


12 


MEMOIRS  OF 


Fourteenth  actuated  the  remotest  parts  of  his  ex- 
tensive dominions ;  and  the  encroaching  spirit  of 
this  restless  nation  began  to  discover  itself  in  hos- 
tilities to  the  infant  colony.  A  motive  for  which 
could'scarce  be  discovered,  possessing  as  they  did 
already  much  more  territory  than  they  were  able 
to  occupy,  the  limits  of  which  were  undefined. 
But  the  province  of  New-York  was  a  frontier  ;  and, 
as  such,  a  kind  of  barrier  to  the  southern  colonies. 
It  began  also  to  compete  for  a  share  of  the  fur 
trade,  then  very  considerable,  before  the  beavers 
were  driven  back  from  their  original  haunts.  In 
short,  the  province  daily  rose  in  importance  ;  and 
being  in  a  great  measure  protected  by  the  Mohawk 
tribes,  the  policy  of  courting  their  alliance,  and 
impressing  their  minds  with  an  exalted  idea  of  the 
power  and  grandeur  of  the  British  empire,  became 
obvious.  I  cannot  recollect  the  name  of  the  go- 
vernor at  this  time  ;  but  whoever  he  was,  he,  as 
well  as  the  succeeding  ones,  visited  the  settlement 
at  Albany,  to  observe  its  wise  regulations,  and  grow- 
ing prosperity,  and  to  learn  maxims  of  sound  po- 
licy from  those  whose  interests  and  happiness  were 
daily  promoted  by  the  practice  of  it. 


1 

1^  ' 

- ! 

1 

i 

f 

! 
\ 

' 
t 

mmmt.  m 

'*.  ,■ 


CHAP.  III. 


("olonel  Schuyler  persuades  four  Sachems  to  accompany  him  t« 
England.—- Their  Reception  and  Return. 

It  was  thought  advisable  to  bring  over  some  of 
the  heads  of  the  tribes  to  England  to  attach  them 
to  that  country  :  but  to  persuade  the  chiefs  of  a 
free  and  happy  people,  who  were  intelligent,  saga- 
cious, and  aware  of  all  probable  dangers  ;  who  were 
strangers  to  all  the  maritime  concerns,  and  had  never 


AN  AMERICAN  LADY. 


13 


beheld  the  ocean  ;  to  persuade  such  independentiand 
high-minded  warriors  to  forsake  the  safety  and  enjoy- 
ments of  their  ow<n  country,  to  encounter  the  perils 
of  a  long  voyage,  and  trust  themselves  among  entire 
strangers,  and  this  merely  to  bind  <:loser  an  alliance 
with  the  sovereign  of  a  distant  country — a  female  so- 
vereign too  ;  a  mode  of  government  that  must  have 
appeared  to  them  very  incongruous ;  this  was  no 
common  undertaking,  nor  was  it  easy  to  induce  these 
chiefs  to  accede  to  the  proposal.  The  principal 
motive  for  urging  it  was  to  counteract  the  machina' 
lions  of  the  French,  whose  emissaries  in  these 
wild  regions  had  even  then  begun  to  style  us,  in 
effect,  a'  nation  of  shop-keepers ;  and  to  impress 
the  tribes  dwelling  in  their  boundaries  with  vast 
ideas  of  the  power  and  splendor  of  their  Grand 
Monarque,  while  our  sovereign  they  said,  ruled 
over  a  petty  island,  and  was  himself  a  trader.  To 
counterwork  those  suggestions,  it  was  thought  re- 
quisite to  give  the  leaders  of  the  nation  (who  then, 
in  fact  protected  the  people)  an  adequate  idea  of 
our  power,  and  the  magnificence  of  our  court.  The 
chiefs  at  length  consented,  on  this  only  condition, 
that  their  brother  Philip,  who  never  told  a  lie,  or 
spoke  without  thinking,  should  accompany  them. 
However  this  gentleman's  wisdom  and  integrity 
might  qualify  him  for  this  employment,  it  by  no 
means  suited  his  placid  temper,  simple  manners, 
and  habits  of  life,  at  once  pastoral  and  patriarchal, 
to  travel  over  seas,  visit  courts,  and  mingle  in  the 
bustle  of  a  world,  the  customs  of  which  were  be- 
come foreign  to  those  primitive  inhabitants  of  new 
and  remote  regions.  The  adventure,  however, 
succeeded  beyond  his  expectation  ;  the  chiefs  were 
pleased  with  the  attention  paid  them,  and  with  the 
mild  imd  gracious  manners  of  the  queen,  who  at 
different  times  admitted  them  to  her  presence. 
With  the  good  Philip  she  had  many  conversations, 
and  made  him  some  valuable  presents,  among  which, 
4  think,  was  her  picture ;  but  this  with  many  others 

O 


; 

« 

1    '     ;' 

1 

■  \ 

1  , 5 


'I 


( 


14 


MEMOIRS  OF 


was  lost)  in  a  manner  which  will  appear  hereafter. 
Colonel  Schuyler  too  was  much  delighted  with  the 
courteous  affability  of  this  princess ;  she  offered  to 
knight  him,  which  he  respectfully,  but  positively 
refused :  and  being  pressed  to  assign  his  reasons, 
he  said  he  had  brothers  and  near  relauuim  in  hum- 
ble  circumstances,  who,  already  his  inferiors  in  pro- 
perty, would  seem  as  it  were  depressed  by  his  ele- 
vation: and  though  it  should  have  no  such  effect  on 
his  mind,  it  might  be  the  means  of  awakening  pride 
or  vanity  in  the  female  part  of  his  family.     He  re- 
turned, however,  in   triumph,  having  completely 
succeeded  in  his  mission.     The  kings,  as  they  were 
called  in  England,  came  back  in  full  health,  deeply 
impressed  with  esteem  and  attachment  for  a  coun- 
try which  to  them  appeared  the  centre  of  arts,  in- 
telligence and  wisdom ;  where  they  were  treated 
with  kindness  and  respect ;  and  neither  made  the 
objects  of  perpetual  exhibition,  nor  hurried  about 
to  be  continually  distracted  with  a  succession  of 
splendid,  and  to  them  incomprehensible  sights,  the 
quick  shiftingofwhich  rather  tends  to  harass  minds 
which  have  enough  of  native  strength  to  reflect  on 
what  they  see,  without  knowledge  sufficient  to  com- 
prehend it.     It  is  to  this  childish  and  injudicious 
mode  of  treating  those  uncivilized  beings,  this  mode 
of  rather  extorting  from  them  a  tiibute  to  our  vani- 
ty, than  t^ing  the  necessary  pains  to  inform  and 
improve  them,  that  the  ill  success  of  all  such  ex- 
periments since  have  been  owing.     Instead  of  en- 
deavouring to  conciliate  them  by  genuine  kindness, 
and  by  gradually  and  gently  unfolding  to  them  sim- 
ple and  useful  truths,  our  manner  of  treating  them 
seems  calculated  to  daz7le,  oppress  and  degrade 
them  with  a  display  of  our  superior  luxuries  and 
refinements :    which,   by  the   elevated  and    self- 
denied  Mohawk,  would  be   regarded  as  unmanly 
jmd  frivolous  objects,  and  which  the  voluptuous 
and  low-minded  Othaheitean  would  so  far  relish, 
that  the  privation  would  seem  intolerable,  when 


AN  AMERICAN  LADY 


II 


he  returned  to  his  hogs  and  his  cocoas.  Except 
such  as  have  been  previously  inoculated,  (a  precau- 
tion which  voyagers  have  rarely  had  the  prudence 
or  humanity  to  take,)  there  is  scarcely  an  instance 
of  savages  brought  to  Europe  that  have  not  died  of 
the  small  pox ;  induced  either  by  the  infection  to 
which  they  are  exposed  from  the  indiscriminate 
crowds  drawn  about  them,  or  the  alteration  in  their 
blood,  which  unusual  diet,  liquors,  close  air,  and 
heated  rooms,  must  necessarily  produce. 

The  presents  made  to  these  adventurous  war- 
riors were  judiciously  adapted  to  their  taste  and 
customs.  They  consisted  of  showy  habits, of  which 
all  these  people  are  very  fond,  and  arms  made  pur- 
posely in  the  form  of  those  used  in  their  own  coun- 
try. It  was  the  fortune  of  the  writer  of  these  me- 
moirs, more  than  thirty  years  after,  to  sec  that  great 
warrior  and  faithful  ally  of  the  British  crown  the 
redoubted  King  Hendrick,  then  sovereign  of  the 
five  nations,  splendidly  arrayed  in  a  suit  of  light 
blue,  made  in  an  antique  mode,  and  trimmed  with 
broad  silver  lace ;  which  was  probably  an  heir<^ 
loom,  in  the  family,  presented  to  his  father  by  his 
good  ally,  and  sister,  the  female  king  of  England. 

I  cannot  exactly  say  how  long  Colonel  Schuyler 
and  his  companions  staid  in  England,  but  think  they 
were  nearly  a  year  absent.  In  those  primeval  days 
of  the  settlement,  when  our  present  rapid  modes  of 
transmitting  intelligence  were  unknown,  in  a 
country  so  detached  and  inland  as  that  at  Albany, 
the  return  of  these  interesting  travellers  was  like 
the  first  lighting  of  lainps  in  a  city. 


i'. 

i  jjj 
J 


■fl 
-I 


U     ■' 


•   K" 


'     1: 


I 


1  V 

■  n 


.li: 


16 


MEMOIRS  01^ 


CHAP.  IV. 


I  t 


Heturn  of  Colonel  Schuyler  and  the  Sachems  to  the  interior.— 
Literary  acquisitions. — Distinguishes  and  instructs  his  favour- 
ite niece. — Manners  of  the  Settlers. 


HIS  sagacious  and  intelligent  patriot  thus 
brought  to  the  foot  of  the  British  throne,  the  high 
spirited  rulers  of  the  boundless  wild,  who,  alike 
heedless  of  the  power  and  splendor  of  distant  mon- 
archs,  were  accustomed  to  say,  with  Fingal,  "  suf- 
ficient forme  is  tHe  desart,  with  all  deer  and  woods." 
It  may  easily  be  supposed  that  such  a  mind  as 
Philip's  was  equally  fitted  to  acquire  and  commu- 
nicate intelligence.  He  who  had  conversed  with 
Addison,  Marlborough,  and  Godolphin,  who  had 
gratified  the  curiosity  of  Oxford  and  Bolingbroke, 
of  Arbuthnot  and  of  Gay,  with  accounts  of  nature  in 
her  pristine  garb,  and  of  her  children  in  their 
primitive  simplicity ;  he  who  could  do  all  this,  no 
<loubt  received  ample  returns  of  various  information 
from  those  best  qualified  to  give  it,  and  was  besides 
a  diligent  observer.  Here  he  improved  a  taste  for 
literature,  native  to  him,  for  it  had  not  yet  taken  root 
in  this  uncultivated  soil.  He  brought  home  the 
Spectator  and  the  tragedy  of  Cato,  Windsor  Forest, 
Young's  poem  on  the  last  Day,  and  in  short  all  the 
works  then  published  of  that  constellation  of  wits 
which  distinguished  the  last  female  reign.  Nay 
more,  and  better,  he  brought  Paradise  Lost ;  which 
in  after-times  afforded  such  delight  to  some 
branches  of  his  family,  that  to  them 

"  Paradi.so,  indeed,  seemed  opened  in  the  wild." 

But  to  retum  to  our  Sachems,  from  whom  we 
have  too  long  digressed  :  when  they  arrived  at  Al- 
bany, they  did  not,  as  might  be  expected,  hasten 
home  to  communicate  their  discoveries,  or  display 
their  acquisitions.    They  summoned  a  congress 


AN  AMERICAN  LADY. 


17 


there,  not  only  of  the  elders  of  their  own  nation, 
but  the  chiefs  of  all  those  with  whom  they  were  in 
alliance.  This  solemn  meeting  was  held  in  the 
Dutch  Church.  In  the  present  depressed  and  di- 
minished state  of  these  once  powerftil  tribes,  so  few 
traces  of  their  wonted  energy  remain,  that  it  could 
scarce  be  credited,  were  I  able  to  relate  with  what 
bold  and  flowing  eloquence  they  clothed  their  con- 
ceptions ;  powerful  reasoning,  emphatic  language, 
and  graceful  action,  added  force  to  their  arguments, 
while  they  persuaded  their  adherents  to  renounce 
all  connexion  with  the  tribes  under  the  French  in- 
fluence ;  and  form  a  lasting  league,  oiTensive  and 
defensive,  with  that  great  queen  whose  mild  ma- 
jesty had  so  deeply  impressed  them:  and  the 
mighty  people  whose  kindness  had  gratified,  and 
whose  power  had  astonished  them,  whose  populous 
cities  swarmed  with  arts  and  commerce,  and  in 
whose  floating  castles  they  had  rode  safely  over  the 
ocean.  I  have  seen  a  voIuityj  of  the  speeches  of 
these  Mohawks  preserved  by  Colonel  Schuyler  ;— 
they  were  literally  translated,  so  that  the  native 
idiom  was  preserved  ;  which  instead  of  appearing 
uncouth,  seemed  to  add  to  their  strength  and  sub- 
limity. 

When  Colonel  Schuyler  returned  from  England, 
about  the  year  1709,  his  niece  Catalina,  the  subject 
of  this  narrative,  was  about  seven  years  old  ;  he  had 
a  daughter  and  sons,  yet  this  child  was  early  distin- 
guished above  the  rest  for  docility,  a  great  desire 
of  knowledge,  and  an  even  and  pleasing  temper; 
this  her  uncle  early  observed.  It  was  at  that  time 
very  difficult  to  procure  the  means  of  instruction  in 
those  inland  districts  ;  female  education  of  conse- 
quence was  conducted  on  a  very  limited  scale  ;— 
girls  learnt  needle-work  (in  which  they  were  indeed 
both  skilful  and  ingenious)  from  their  mothers  and 
aunts  ;  they  were  taught  too  at  that  period  to  read, 
in  Dutch,  the  bible  and  a  few  Calvinist  tracts  of  the 
devotional  kind.    But  in  the  infancy  of  the  settle- 

C  2 


18 


MEMOIRS  OF 


t    11' 


'  n  !* 


I     I  ; 


jnent  few  girls  read  English  ;  when  they  did,  they 
were  thought  accomplished  ;  they  generally  spoke 
it,  however,  imperfectly,  and  few  were  taught  wri- 
ting. This  confined  education  precluded  elegance ; 
yet,  though  there  was  no  polish,  there  was  no  vul- 
garity. The  dregs  of  the  people,  who  subside  to 
the  bottom  of  the  mass,  are  not  only  degraded  by 
abject  poverty,  but  so  utterly  shut  out  from  inter- 
course with  the  more  enlightened,  and  so  rankJed 
with  envy  at  feeling  themselves  so,  that  a  sense  of 
their  condition  gradually  debases  their  minds;  and 
this  degradation  communicates  to  their  manners, 
the  vulgarity  of  which  we  complain.  This  more 
particularly  applies  to  the  lower  class  in  towns,  for 
mere  simplicity,  or  even  a  rustic  bluntness,  I  would 
by  no  means  call  vulgarity.  At  the  same  time 
these  unembellished  females  had  more  comprehen- 
sion of  mind,  more  variety  of  ideas,  more  in  short 
of  what  may  be  called  original  thinking,  than  could 
easily  be  imagined.  Their  thoughts  were  not  like 
those  of  other  illiterate  women,  occupied  by  the  or- 
dinary details  of  the  day,  and  the  gossiping  tattle  of 
the  neighbourhood.  Ihc  life  of  new  settlers,  in  a 
situation  like  this,  where  the  very  foundations  of 
society  were  to  be  laid,  was  a  life  of  exigencies.— 
Every  individual  took  an  interest  in  the  general 
welfare,  and  contributed  their  respective  shares  of 
intelligence  and  sagacity  to  aid  plans  that  embraced 
important  objects  relative  to  the  common  good.— 
Every  day  called  iorth  some  new  expedient,  in 
which  the  comfort  or  adviuitage  of  the  whole  was  im- 
plicated ;  lor  there  were  no  degrees  but  those  as- 
signed to  worth  and  intellect.  This  singular  com- 
munity seemed  to  have  a  common  stock,  not  only  of 
sufiVrings  and  enjoyments,  but  of  intormation  and 
ideas  ;  some  pre-cn»inehce,  in  point  of  knowledge 
and  abilities,  there  certainly  was,  yet  those  who  pos- 
sessed it  seemed  scarcely  conscious  ot  their  supe- 
riority ;  the  daily  occasions  which  called  forth  the 
(Exertions  ot'miu(i,sharpt;i4ed  sagacity, and  strength- 


AN  AMERICAN  LADY. 


19 


cnecl  character ;  avarice  und  vanity  were  there  con- 
fined to  very  narrow  limits  ;  of  money  there  waa 
little ;  and  dress  was,  though  in  some  instances  ^- 
uable,  very  plain,  and  not  subject  to  the  caprice 
of  fashion.  The  wolves,  the  bears,  and  the 
enraged  or  intoxicated  savages,  that  always  hung 
threatening  on  their  boundaries,  made  them  more 
and  more  endeared  to  each  other.  In  this  calm  in- 
fancy of  society,  the  rigours  of  law  slept,  be- 
cause the  fury  of  turbulent  passions  had  not  awak- 
ened it.  Fashion,  that  capricious  tyrant  over  adult 
communities,  had  not  erected  her  standard;  that 
standard,  to  which  the  looks,  the  language,  the 
very  opinions  of  her  subjects  must  be  adjusted. — 
Yet  no  person  appeared  uncouth,  or  ill  bred,  be- 
cause there  was  no  accomplished  standard  of  com- 
parison. They  viewed  no  superior  with  feur  or  en- 
vy ;  and  treated  no  inferior  with  contempt  or  cruel- 
ty ;  servility  and  insolence  were  thus  equally  un- 
known ;  perhaps  tiiey  were  less  solicitous  either  to 
please  or  to  shine  than  the  members  of  more  polish- 
ed societies ;  because,  in  the  first  place,  they  had 
no  motive  either  to  dazzle  or  deceive  ;  and  in  the 
next,  had  they  attempted  it,  they  felt  there  was  no 
assuming  a  character  with  success,  where  their  na- 
tive one  was  so  well  known.  Their  manners,  if 
not  elegant  and  polished,  were  at  least  easy  and  in- 
dependent: the  constant  efforts  necessary  to  ex- 
tend \heir  commercial  and  agricultural  possessions 
prevented  indolence ;  and  industry  was  the  certain 
path  to  plei\ty.  Surrounded  on  all  sides  by  those 
whom  the  le&st  histance  of  fraud,  insolence,  or 
grasping  meanne^s,  would  have  rendered  irrecon- 
cilable enemies,  they  were  atfirst  obliged  to  *  assume 
a  virtue  if  they  had  it  not ;'  and  every  circumstance 
that  renders  virtue  habituvil,  may  be  accounted  a 
happy  one.  I  may  be  told  that  the  virtues  1  de- 
scribe were  chieily  those  of  siiviation.  I  acknow- 
ledge it.  It  is  no  more  to  be  expected  that  this 
equality,  simplicity,  and  moderation,  should  conti- 


f     < 


iiifTM  rnimininiiim 


20 


MEMOIRS  OF 


nue  in  a  more  advanced  state  of  society,  than  tliat 
the  sublime  tranquillity,  and  dewy  freshness,  which 
adds  a  nameless  charm  to  the  face  of  nature,  in  tlie 
dawn  of  a  summer's  morning,  should  continue  all 
day. — Before  increased  wealth  and  extended  terri- 
tory these  "  wassel  days'*  quickly  receded ;  yet  it 
is  pleasing  to  indulge  the  remembrance  of  a  spot, 
where  peace  and  felicity,  the  result  of  a  moral  ex- 
cellence, dw«lt  undisturbed,  for,  alas  I  hardly  for  a 
century. 


r  I 


CHAP.  V. 


'ii-; 


!'  I 


State  of  Heligion  among  the  Settlers.— InBtruction  ofCKildren 
devolved  on  Females— to  whom  the  charge  of  gardening,  etc. 

j  was  also  comraitted.— Sketch  of  the  State  of  Society  atNew> 
York.  « 

1  MUST  finish  this  general  outline,  by  saying 
something  of  that  religion  which  gave  stability  and 
effect  to  the  virtues  of  this  infant  society.  Their 
religion,  then,  like  their  original  national  character, 
had  in  it  little  of  fervour  or  enthusiasm :  their  man- 
ner of  performing  religious  duties  was  reguMr 
and  decent,  but  calm,  and  to  more  ardent  imagina- 
tions might  appear  mechanical.  None  ever  doubt- 
ed of  the  great  truths  of  revelation,  yet  few  seemed 
to  dwell  on  the  result  with  that  lively  delight  which 
devotion  produces  in  minds  of  keener  sensibility. 
If  their  piety,  however,  was  without  enthusiasm,  it 
was  also  without  bigotry:  chey  wished  others  to 
think  as  they  did,  without  showing  rancour  or  con- 
tempt towards  those  who  did  not.  In  many  indi- 
viduals, whose  lives  seemed  governed  by  the  prin- 
ciples of  religion,  the  spirit  of  devotioi\  seemed  td 
be  quiescent  in  Che  heart,  and  to  break  forth  in  exi- 


AN  AMERICAN  LADY. 


<drt 


fTcncies ;  yet  that  monster  in  nature,  an  impious 
woman,  was  never  heard  of  among  them.  '' 

Indeed  it  was  on  the  females  that  the  task  of  re- 
ligious instruction  generally  devolved ;  and  inall 
cases  where  the  heart  is  interested,  whoever 
teaches,  at  the  same  time  learns. 

Before  I  quit  this  subject,  I  must  observe  a  sin- 
gular coincidence  ;  not  only  the  training  of  children 
but  of  planto,  ouch  ?>s  needed  peculiar  care  or 
skill  to  rear  them,  was  the  female  province.  Every 
one  in  town  or  country  had  a  garden ;  but  all  the 
more  hardy  plants  grew  in  the  field,  in  rows,  amidst 
the  hills,  as  they  were  called,  of  Indian  corn.  These 
lofty  plants  sheltered  them  from  the  sun,  while  the 
same  hoeing  served  for  both  :  there  cabbages,  pota- 
toes, and  other  esculentroots,  with  variety  of  gourds 
grew  to  a  great  size,  and  were  of  an  excellent  qual- 
ity. Kidney-beans,  asparagus,  celery,  great  variety 
of  salads  and  sweet  herbs,  cucumbers.  Sec.  were 
only  admitted  into  the  garden,  into  which  no  foot  of 
man  intruded  after  it  was  dug  in  spring.  Here 
v/ere  no  trees,  those  grew  in  the  orchard  in  high 
perfection  ;  strawberries  and  many  high  flavoured 
wild  fruits  of  the  shrub  kind  abounded  so  much  in 
the  woods,  that  they  did  not  think  of  cultivating 
them  in  their  gardens,  which  were  extremely  neat 
but  small,  and  not  by  any  means  calculated  for  walk- 
ing in.  I  think  I  yet  see  what  I  have  so  often  be- 
held both  in  town  and  country,  a  respectable  mis- 
tress of  a  family  going  out  to  her  garden,  in  an 
April  morning,  with  her  great  calash,  her  little 
painted  basket  of  seeds,  and  her  rake  over  her 
shoulder,  to  her  garden  labours.  These  were  by 
no  means  figurative,  .    •     .       . 

"  From  morn  till  noon,  from  noon  till  dewy  ctc.'* 

A  woman  in  very  easy  circumstances,  and  abund- 
antly gentle  in  form  and  maimers,  would  sow,  and 
plant,  and  rake  incessantly.  These  ftyir  gardeners 
too  were  great  florists :  their  emulation  and  solici- 


33 


MEMOIRS  OF 


tudc  in  this  pleasing  employment,  did  indeed  pro* 
duce  "  flowers  worthy  of  Paradise."  These,  though 
not  set  in  "  curious  knots,"  were  ranged  in  beds, 
the  varieties  of  each  kind  by  themselves ;  this,  if 
not  varied  and  elegant,  was  at  least  rich  and  gay. 
To  the  Schuylers  this  description  did  not  apply  ;— 
they  had  gardeners,  and  their  gardens  were  laid  out 
in  the  European  manner. 

Perhaps  I  should  reserv*  my   ticsciiplion  uf  the 

manner  of  living  in  that  country  for  that  period, 
when,  by  the  exertions  of  a  few  humane  and  en- 
lightened individuals,  it  assumed  a  more  regular 
and  determinate  form.  Yet  as  the  same  outline 
was  preserved  through  all  the  stages  of  its  progres- 
sion, I  know  not  but  that  it  may  be  the  bestto  sketch 
"  it  entirely,  before  I  go  further ;  that  the  few  and  sim- 
ple facts  which  my  narrative  affords  may  not  be 
clogged  by  explanations  relative  to  the  customs,  or 
any  other  peculiarities  which  can  only  be  under- 
stood by  a  previous  acquaintance  with  the  nature  of 
the  country,  its  political  relations,  and  the  manners 
of  the  people  :  my  recollection  all  this  while  has 
been  merely  confined  to  Albany  and  its  precincts. 
At  New- York  there  was  always  a  governor,  a  few 
troops,  and  a  kind  of  a  little  court  kept ;  there  too 
was  a  mixed,  and  in  some  degree,  polished  society. 
To  this  the  accession  of  many  families  of  French 
hugonots,  rather  above  the  middling  rank,  contri- 
buted not  a  little :  those  conscientious  exiles  had 
more  knowledge  and  piety  than  any  other  class  of 
the  inhabitants ;  their  religion  seemed  indeed  en* 
deared  to  them  by  what  they  had  suffered  for  ad- 
hering to  it.  Their  number  and  wealth  was  suchj 
as  enabled  them  to  build  not  only  a  street,  but  a 
very  respectable  church  in  the  new  city.  In  this 
place  of  worship  service  continued  to  be  celebrated 
in  the  French  language  within  my  recollection, 
though  the  original  congregation  was  by  that  time 
much  blended  m  the  mass  of  general  society.  It 
was  the  custom  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  upper  set- 


AN  AMERICAN  LADY. 


•3 


dement)  who  had  any  pretensions  to  superior  cul* 
ture  or  polish,  among  which  number  Coi.  Schuyler 
stood  foremost,  to  go  once  in  a  year  to  New -York) 
where  all  the  law-courts  were  held,  and  all  the  im- 
portant business  of  the  province  transacted,  here 
too  they  sent  their  children  occasionally  to  reside 
with  their  relations,  and  to  learn  the  more  polished 
manners  and  language  of  the  capital.  The  inhabi- 
tants of  that  city,  on  the  other  hand,  delighted  in  a 
summer  excursion  to  Albany.  The  beautiful  and 
in  some  places  highly  singular  banks  of  the  river, 
rendering  a  voyage  to  its  source  both  amusing  and 
interesting,  while  the  primitive  manners  of  the  m- 
habitants  diverted  the  gay  and  idle,  and  pleased  the 
thoughtful  and  speculative. 

Let  me  now  be  indulged  in  drawing  a  picture  of 
the  abode  of  my  childhood  just  as,  at  this  time,  it 
presents  itself  to  my  mind.  '      ^  • 


I 


CHAP.  VI. 


Description  of  Albany  .—Manner  of  living  there.— Uermitagfj 


HE  city  of  Albany  was  stretched  along  the 
banks  of  Hudson  ;  one  very  wide  and  long  street 
lay  parallel  to  the  river,  the  intermediate  space  be- 
tween it  and  the  shore  being  occupied  by  gardens. 
A  h^o.\l  but  st '^ep  hill  rose  above  the  centre  of  the 
t<-'.ii,  on  which  stood  a  fort,  intended  (but  very  ill 
adapted)  for  the  defence  of  the  place,  and  of  the 
neighbouring  country.  From  the  foot  of  this  hill, 
another  street  was  built,  sloping  pretty  rapidly 
down  till  it  Joined  the  one  before  mentioned  that 
ran  along  the  river.  This  street  was  still  wider 
than  the  other ;  it  was  only  paved  on  each  side,  the 


Wi 


34 


MEMOIRS  OF 


middle  being  occupied  by  public  edifices.  These 
consisted  of  a  market  place^  a  guard-house,  a 
town  halU  and  the  English  and  Dutch  churches. 
The  English  church,  belonging  to  the  episcopal 
persuasion,  and  in  the  diocese  of  the  bishop  of 
London,  stood  at  the  foot  of  the  hill,  at  the  upper 
end  of  the  street.  The  Dutch  church  was  situated 
at  the  bottom  of  the  descent  where  the  street  ter- 
minated ;  two  irregular  streets,  not  so  broad,  but 
equally  long,  ran  parallel  to  those,  and  a  few  even 
ones  opened  between  them.  The  town,  in  propor- 
tion to  its  population,  occupied  a  great  space  of 
ground.  This  city,  in  short,  was  a  kind  of  semi- 
rural  establishment;  every  house  had  its  garden, 
■well,  and  a  little  green  behind ;  before  every  door 
a  tree  was  planted,  rendered  interesting  by  being 
coeval  with  some  beloved  member  of  the  family ; 
many  of  their  trees  were  of  a  prodigious  size  and 
extraordinary  beauty,  but  without  regularity,  eveiy 
one  planting  the  kind  that  best  pleased  him,  or 
which  he  thought  would  aflFord  the  most  agreeable 
shade  to  the  open  portico  at  his  door,  which  was 
surrounded  by  seats,  and  ascended  by  a  few  steps. 
It  was  in  these  that  each  domestic  group  was  seat- 
ed in  smnmer  evenings  to  enjoy  the  balmy  twilight, 
or  serenely  clear  moonlight.  Each  family  had  a 
cow,  fed  in  a  common  pasture  at  the  end  of  the 
town.  In  the  evening  they  returned  all  together, 
of  their  own  accord,  with  tlieir  tinkling  bells  hung 
at  their  necks,  along  the  wide  and  grassy  street,  to 
their  wonted  sheltering  trees,  to  be  milked  at  their 
master's  doors.  Nothing  could  be  more  pleasing 
to  a  simple  and  benevolent  mind  than  to  see  thus, 
at  one  view,  all  the  inhabitants  of  a  town,  which 
contained  not  one  very  rich  or  very  poor,  very 
knowing  or  very  ignorant,  very  rude  or  very  po- 
lished individual ;  to  see  all  these  children  of  na- 
ture enjoying  in  easy  indolence,  or  social  inter- 
course, .  ,. 
♦♦  The  cool,  the  fragrant;  and  the  duehi  houv,"        -;  • ' 


AN  AMERICAN  LA13\'. 


125 


ices.    These 

£trd-houscv  a 

ch  churches. 

he  episcopal 

le  bishop  of 

at  the  upper 

was  situated 

le  street  ter- 

io  broad,  but 

d  a  few  even 

n,  in  propor- 

eat  space  of 

ind  of  semi- 

1  its  garden, 

e  every  door 

ing  by  being 

f  the  family ; 

ous  size  and 

jlarity,  eveiy 

sed  him,  or 

)st  agreeable 

,  which  was 

a  few  steps. 

ip  was  seat- 

my  twilight, 

amily  had  a 

end  of  the 

all  together, 

bells  hung 

sy  street,  to 

icd  at  their 

>re  pleasing 

to  see  thus, 

own,  which 

poor,   very 

n'  very  po- 

drcn  of  na- 

ocial  inier- 


uv,« 


.1 

r 


clothed  in  the  plainest  habits,  and  with  minds  as 
undisguised  and  artless.  These  primitive  beings 
were  dispersed  in  porches  grouped  according  to 
similarity  of  years  and  inclinations.  At  one  door 
young  matrons,  at  an  other  the  elders  of  the  people, 
at  a  third  the  youths  and  maidens,  gaily  chatting  or 
singing  together,  while  the  children  played  round 
the  trees,or  waited  by  the  cows,  for  the  chief  in- 
gredient of  their  frugal  supper,  which  they  gene- 
rally ate  sitting  on  tiie  steps  hi  the  open  air.  This 
picture,  so  familiar  to  my  imagination,  has  led  me 
away  from  my  purpose,  which  was  to  describe  the 
ruralcconomy,andmodesof  living  in  this  patrijlr- 
chul  city.  At  one  end  of  the  town,  as  I  observed 
before,  was  a  common  pasture  where  all  the  cattle 
belonging  to  the  inhabitants  grazed  together.  A 
never-failing  instinct  guided  each  home  to  her 
master's  door  in  the  evening,  where  being  treated 
with  a  few  vegetables  and  a  little  salt,  which  is  in- 
dispensably necessary  for  cattle  in  this  country, 
they  patiently  waited  the  night ;  and  after  being 
milked  in  the  morning,  they  went  off  in  slow  and 
regular  procession  to  their  pasture.  At  the  other 
end  of  the  town  was  a  fertile  plain  along  the  river, 
three  miles  in  length,  and  near  a  mile  broad.  This 
was  all  divided  into  lots,  where  every  inhabitant 
raised  Indian  corn  sufficient  for  the  food  of  two  or 
three  slaves,  (the  greatest  number  that  each  fam- 
ily ever  possessed,)  and  for  his  horses,  pigs,  and 
l)oultry  :  their  flour  and  other  grain  they  purchased 
from  farmers  in  the  vicinity.  Above  the  town,  a 
long  stretch  to  the  westward  was  occupied  first  by 
sandy  liills,  on  which  grew  bilberries  of  uncom- 
mon size  and  flavour  in  prodigious  quantities ;  be- 
yond rise  heights  of  a  poor  hungry  soil,  thinly 
covered  v.ith  stunted  pines,  or  dwarf  oak.  Yet  in 
this  comparatively  barren  tract,  there  were  several 
wild  luid  picturesque  spots,  where  small  brooks, 
running  in  deep  and  rich  bottoms,  nourished  on 
their  banks  every  vegetable  beauty  ;  there  some  of 

D 


M 


M 


MEMOIRS  OF 


f'U' 


the  most  industrious  early  settlers  had  cleared  the 
luxuriant  \vood  from  these  charming  little  ^;lens, 
and  built  neat  cottages  for  their  slaves,  surrounded 
.with  little   gardens  and  orchards,   sheltered   from 
every  blast,  wildly  picturesque,  and  richly  produc- 
tive.    Those  small  sequestered  vales  had  an  attrac- 
tion that  I  know  not   how  to  describe,  and  which 
probably  resulted  from  the  air  of  deep  repose  that 
reigned  there,  and  the  strong  contrast  which  they 
exhibitetl  to  the  surrounding  sterility.    One  of  these 
was  in  my  time  inhabited  by  a  hermit.     He  was  a 
Frenchman,  and  did  not  seem  to  inspire  much  ve- 
iicration  among  the  Albanians.      They  imagined, 
or  had  heard,  that  he  retired  to  that  solitude  in  re- 
morse for  some  fatal  duel  in  which  he  had  been  en- 
gaged ;,  and  considered  him  as  an  idolator  because 
he  had  an  image  of  the  virgin  in  his  hut.     I  think 
he  retired  to  Canada  at  last ;  but  I  rernember  being 
ready  to  worship  him  for   the  sanctity  with  which 
ifiy  imagination    invested  him,  and  being  cruelly 
disappointed  because  I  was  not  permitted  to  visit 
him.      These  cottages   were  in  summer  occupied 
by  some  of  the  negroes  who  cultivated  the  grounds 
about  them,  and  served  as  a  place  of  joyful  libeity 
to  the  children  of  the  family   on  holidays,   and   a 
uursery  for  tl\e  young  negroes    whom  it   was  the 
custoni  to  rear   very   tenderly,   and  instruct   very 
carefully. 


CHAP.  VH. 


CJcutlu  Treatment  of  Slaves  among  the  Albanians. — Consoqucul 
Attachment  ot' Domestic*.—- Ueflections  ou  Servitude. 

In  the  society  I  am  describing,  even  the  dark  as- 
pect of  sluvery  was  softened  into  a  smile.  And  I 
must,  in  justice  to  the  best  possible  masters,  say? 


AN  AMERICAN  LADY. 


27 


^•v 


tliat  a  great  deal  of  that  tranquillity  and  comfort,  to 
call  it  by  no  higher  name,  which  distinf^uished  this 
society  from  all  others,  was  owing  to  the  relation 
between  master  and  servant  being  better  under- 
stood here  than  in  any  other  place.  Let  me  not  be 
detested  as  an  advocate  for  slavery  when  I  say  that 
I  think  I  have  never  seen  people  so  happy  in  servi- 
tude as  the  domestics  of  the  Albanians.  One  rea- 
son was,  (for  I  do  not  now  speak  of  the  virtues  of 
their  masters,)  that  each  family  had  few  of  them, 
an'l  that  there  were  no  field  negroes.  They  would 
leniind  one  of  Abraham's  servants,  who  were  all 
horn  in  the  house,  which  was  exactly  their  case. 
They  were  baptized  too,  and  shared  the  same  reli- 
gious instruction  with  the  children  of  the  family  ; 
and,  for  the  first  years,  there  was  little  or  no  diflFer- 
cnce  with  regard  to  food  or  clothing  between  their 
children  and  those  of  their  masters. 

When  a  negro-woman*s  child  attained  the  age 
of  three  years,  the  firsl  New  Year's  Day  after,  it  • 
was  solemnly  presented  to  a  son  or  daughter,  or 
other  young  relative  of  the  family,  who  was  of  the 
same  sex  with  the  child  so  presented.  T\\q  child 
to  whom  the  young  negro  was  given  immediately 
presented  it  with  some  piece  of  money  and  a  pair 
of  shoes ;  and  from  that  day  the  strongest  attach- 
ment subsisted  between  the  domestic  and  the  des- 
tined owner.  I  have  no  where  met  with  instances 
of  friendship  more  tender  and  generous  than  that 
which  here  subsisted  between  the  slaves  and  their 
masters  and  mistresses.  Extraordinary  proofs  of 
ihcm  have  been  often  given  in  the  course  of  hunt- 
ing or  Indian  trading,  when  a  young  man  and  his 
slave  have  gone  to  the  trackless  woods  together, 
in  the  case  of  fits  of  the  ague,  loss  of  a  canoe,  and 
other  casualties  happening  near  hostile  Indians. 
The  slave  has  been  known,  at  the  imminent  risque 
of  his  life,  to  carry  his  disabled  master  through 
trackless  woods  with  labour  and  fidelity  scarce 
credible  ;  and  the  master  has  been  equally  tender 


'28 


MEMOmS  OF 


*, 


ill 


.  ! 


i! 


K! 


on  similai'  occasions  of  the  humble  friend  wh6 
stuck  closer  than  a  brother;  who  was  baptized 
with  th(?  sume  baptism,  nurtured  under  the  same 
roof,  and  often  rocked  in  the  same  cradle  with 
himself.  These 'gifts  of  domestics  to  the  younger 
members  of  the  family,  were  not  irrevokable  :  yet 
they  were  very  rarely  withdrawn.  If  the  kitchen 
family  did  not  increase  in  proportion  to  that  of  the 
master,  younc^  children  were  purchased  from  some 
family  where  they  abounded,  to  furnish  those  at- 
tached servants  to  the  rising  progeny.  They  were 
never  sold  without  consulting  their  mother,  who, 
if  expert  and  sagacious,  had  a  great  deal  to  say  in 
the  family )  and  would  not  allow  her  child  to  go 
into  any  family  with  whose  domestics  she  was  not 
acquainted.  These  negro-women  piqued  them- 
selves on  teaching  their  children  to  be  excellent 
servants,  well  knowing  servitude  to  be  their  lot  for 
life,  and  that  it  could  only  be  sweetened  by  making 
themselves  particularly  useful,  and  excelling  in 
their  department.  If  they  did  their  work  well,  it 
is  astonishing,  when  I  recollect  i^,  what  liberty  of 
speech  was  allowed  to  those  active  and  prudent 
mothers.  They  would  chide,  reprove,  and  expos- 
tulate in  a  manner  that  we  would  not  endure  from 
our  hired  servants ;  and  sometimes  exert  fully  as 
much  authority  over  the  children  of  the  family  as 
the  parents,  conscious  that  they  were  entirely  in 
their  power.  They  did  not  crush  freedom  of 
speech  and  opinion  in  those  by  whom  they  knew 
they  were  beloved,  and  who  watched  with  inces- 
sant care  over  their  interest  and  comfort.  Affec- 
tionate and  faithful  as  these  home-bred  servants 
-were  in  general,  there  were  some  instances  (but 
very  few)  of  those  who,  through  levity  of  mind, 
or  a  love  of  liquor  or  finery,  betrayed  their  trust, 
or  habitually  neglected  their  duty.  In  these  cases, 
after  every  means  had  been  used  to  reform  them, 
no  severe  punishments  were  inflicted  at  home.  But 
the  terrible   sentence,  which  they  dreaded  worse 


AN  AMERICAN  LADV 


29 


than  death,  was  past — they  were  sold  to  Jamaica. 
The  necessity  of  doing  this  was  i  ewailed  by  the 
whole  family  as  a  most  dreadful  calamity,  and  the 
culprit  was  carefully  watched  on  his  way  to  New- 
York,  least  he  should  evade  the  sentence  by  self- 
destruction. 

One  must  have  lived  among  those  placid  and 
humane  people  to  be  sensible  that  servitude,  hope- 
less, endless  servitude,  could  exist  with  so  little 
servility  and  fear  on  the  one  side,  and  so  little  harsh- 
ness or  even  sternness  of  authority  in  the  other. 
In  Europe,  the  footing  on  which  service  is  placed 
in  consequence  of  the  corruptions  of  society,  har- 
dens the  heart,  destroys  confidence,  and  embitters 
life.  The  deceit  and  venality  of  servants,  not  abso- 
lutely dishonest,  puts  it  out  of  one's  power  to  love 
or  trust  them.  And  if,  in  hopes  of  having  people 
attached  to  us,  who  will  neither  betray  our  confi* 
dence,  nor  corrupt  our  children,  we  are  at  pains  to 
rear  them  from  childhood,  and  give  them  a  reli- 
gious and  moral  education ;  after  all  our  labour, 
others  of  their  own  class  seduce  them  away  to  those 
who  can  afford  to  pay  higher  for  their  services. 
This  is  not  the  case  in  afe  w  remote  districts.  Where 
surrounding  mountains  seem  to  exclude  the  conta- 
gion of  the  world,  some  traces  of  fidelity  and  affec- 
tion among  domestics  still  remain.  But  it  must 
be  remarked,  that,  in  those  very  districts,  it  is 
usual  to  treat  inferiors  with  courtesy  and  kindness, 
and  to  consider  those  domestics  who  marry  out  of 
the  family  as  holding  a  kind  of  relation  to  it,  and 
still  claiming  protection.  In  short,  the  corruption 
of  that  class  of  people  is,  doubtless,  to  be  attributed 
to  the  example  of  their  superiors.  But  how  se- 
verely are  those  superiors  pimished  ?  Why  this 
general  indifference  about  home ;  why  are  the 
household  gods,  why  is  the  sacred  hearth  so  wan- 
tonly abandoned  ?  Alas!  the  charm  of  home  is  de- 
stroyed, since  our  children,  educated  in  distant 
seminaries,  are  strangers  in  the  paternal  mansion  ; 

D  2 


.  T  71111111 1  Timtayjii^ 


!:.;» 


lil'l 


MEMOIRS  OF 


and  our  servants,  like  mere  machines,  move  oit 
their  mercenary  track  without  feeling  or  exciting 
one  kind  or  j^enerous  sentiment.  Home,  thus  de- 
spoiled of  all  its  chaiTns,  is  no  longer  the  scene  of 
any  enjoyment  but  such  as  wealth  can  purchase. 
At  the  same  time  we  feel  there  «.  nameless  cold 
privation,  and  conscious  that  money  can  coin  the 
same  enjoyments  with  more  variety  elsewhere,  we 
substitute  these  futile  and  evanescent  pleasures  for 
that  perennial  spring  of  calm  satisfaction,  "  with- 
out o'crflowing  full,'*  which  is  fed  by  the  exercise 
of  the  kindly  affections,  and  soon  indeed  must 
those  stagnate  where  there  are  not  proper  objects 
to  excite  them.  I  have  been  forced  into  this  pain- 
ful digression  by  unavoidable  comparisons.  To 
return  : — 

Amidst  all  this  mild  and  really  tender  indulgence 
to  their  negroes,  these  colonists  had  not  the  smal- 
lest scruple  of  conscience  with  regard  to  the  right 
by  which  they  held  them  in  subjection.  Had  that 
been  the  case,  tlicir  singular  humanity  would  have 
been  incompatible  with  continued  injustice.  But 
the  truth  is,  that  of  law  the  generality  of  those 
people  knew  little  ;  and  of  philosophy,  nothing  at 
•all.  They  sought  their  code  of  morality  in  the 
bible,  and  there  imagined  they  found  this  hapless 
race  condemned  to  perpetual  slavery  ;  and  thought 
nothing  remained  for  them  but  to  lighten  the 
chains  of  their  fellow  christians,  after  having  made 
them  such.  This  I  neither  "extenuate,'*  nor  "set 
down  in  mulice,"  but  merely  record  the  fact.  At  the 
sanu;  time  it  is  but  justice  to  record  also  a  singular 
instance  of  moral  delicacy  distinguishing  this  set- 
tlement from  every  otlier  in  the  like  circumstances  : 
though  from  their  simple  and  kindly  modes  of  life, 
I  hey  were  from  infancy  in  habits  of  familiarity  with 
these  humble  friends,  yet  being  early  taught  that 
nature  had  piaced  between  them  a  barrier,  wliich  it 
was  in  a  higii  degree  criminal  and  disgraceful  to 
|)ass,  they  considered  a  mixture  of  such  distinct 


W'-< 


AN  AMERICAN  LADY. 


les,  move  oil 
J  or  excitinji; 
me,  thus  de- 
thc  scene  of 
:an  purchase, 
imeless  cold 
can  coin  the 
sewhere,  we 
pleasures  for 
:tion,  "with- 
the  exercise 
indeed  must 
'oper  objects 
ito  this  pain- 
arisons.     To 

r  indulgence 
not  the  smal- 

to  the  right 
I.  Had  that 
'  would  have 
ustice.  But 
lity  of  those 
,  nothing  at 
rality  in  the 
this  hapless 

and  thought 

lighten  the 
having  made 
e/*  nor  "set 
fact.  At  the 
5o  a  singular 
ing  this  set- 
cumstanccs  : 
nodes  of  life, 
liliarity  with 

taught  that 
pier,  which  it 
sgracfful  to 
uch  distinct 


m- 


races  with  abhorrence,  as  a  violation  of  her  laws. 
This  greatly  conduced  to  the  preservation  of  fam- 
ily happiness  and  concord.  An  ambiguous  race, 
which  the  law  does  not  acknowledge  ;  and  who,  (if 
the^  ive  any  moral  sense,  must  be  as  much  asha- 
med ot  d.cir  parents  as  these  last  are  of  them)  are 
certainly  a  dangerous,  because  degraded  part  of  the 
community.  How  much  more  so  must  be  those 
unfortunate  beings  who  stand  in  the  predicament  of 
the  bat  in  the  fable,  whom  both  birds  and  beasts 
disowned  ?  I  am  sorry  to  say  that  the  progress  of 
the  British  army,  when  it  arrived,  might  be  traced 
by  a  spurious  and  ambiguous  race  of  this  kind. 
But  of  a  mulatto  born  before  their  arrival  I  only  re- 
member a  single  instance  ;  and  from  the  regret  and 
wonder  it  occasioned,  considered  it  as  singular. 
Colonel  Schuyler,  of  whom  I  am  to  speak,  had  a 
relation  so  weak  and  defective  in  capacity,  that  he 
never  was  intrusted  with  any  thing  of  his  own,  and 
lived  an  idle  bachelor  about  the  family.  In  process 
of  time  a  favourite  negro-woman,  to  the  great  of- 
fence and  scandal  of  the  family,  bore  a  child  to 
him,  whose  colour  gave  testimony  to  the  relation. 
The  boy  was  carefully  educated  ;  and  when  he 
grew  up,  a  farm  was  allotted  to  him  well  stocked 
and  fertile,  but  "  in  depth  of  woods  embraced,'* 
about  two  miles  back  from  the  family  seat.  A  des- 
titute white  woman,  who  had  somehow  wandered 
from  the  older  colonies,  was  induced  to  marry 
him  ;  and  all  the  branches  of  the  family  thought  it 
incumbent  on  them  now  and  then  to  pay  a  (juiet 
visit  to  Chalk  (for  so,  for  some  unknown  reason, 
they  always  called  him.)  I  have  been  in  Chalk's 
house  myself,  and  a  most  comfortable  abode  it  was ; 
l)ut  considered  him  as  a  mysterious  and  anomalous 
being. 

I  have  dwelt  the  longer  on  this  singular  instance 
of  slavery,  existing  devoid  of  its  attendant  horrors, 
l)ecuuse  the  fidelity  and  affection  resulting  from  a 
bond  of  union  so  t  arly  formed  between  master  and 


1 


3^ 


.  MEMOIRS  OF 


J'SPii 


servant,  contributed  so  very  much  to  the  safety  of 
individuals,  as  well  as  the  general  comfort  of  soci- 
ety, as  will  hereafter  appear.  ».      - 


CHAP.  VIII. 


<\> 


■\  ; 


I.    I 


I 


Education  and  early  Habits  of  the  Albanians  described. 

HE  foundations  both  of  friendship  and  still  ten- 
derer attachments  were  here  laid  very  early  by  an 
institution  which  I  always  thought  had  been  pecu- 
liar to  Albany,  till  I  found  in  Dr.  Moore's  View 
of  Society  on  the  Continent  an  account  of  a  similar 
custom  subsisting  in  Geneva.  The  children  of  the 
town  were  all  divided  into  companies,  as  they  called 
them,  from  five  to  six  years  of  age,  till  they  be- 
came marriageable.  How  those  companies  first 
originated,  or  what  were  their  exact  regulations, 
I  cannot  say  ;  though  I,  belonging  to  none,  acca- 
sionally  mixed  with  several,  yet  always  as  a  stran- 
ger, though  I  spoke  their  current  language  fluent- 
ly. Every  company  contained  as  many  boys  as 
girls.  But  I  do  not  know  that  there  was  any  limit- 
ed number;  only  this  I  rtcollect,  that  a  boy  and  a 
girl  of  each  company,  who  were  older,  cleverer, 
or  had  some  other  pre-eminence  abovi  the  rest, 
were  called  heads  of  the  company,  and  as  such, 
obeyed  by  the  others.  Whether  they  were  voted 
in,  or  attained  their  pre-eminence  l)y  a  tacit  ac- 
knowledgment of  their  superiority,  I  know  not, 
but  however  it  was  attained  it  was  never  disputed. 
The  company  of  little  children  hud  also  their  heads. 
All  the  ciiiklrcn  of  the  same  age  were  not  in  one 
company  ;  ll.ere  were  at  least  three  or  four  ot  equal 
ages,  WHO  hud  a  strong  riviilry  with  each  other; 
and  ehildmi  of  diiVercat  ages  in  the  same  family. 


AN  AMERICAN  LADY. 


30 


js  described. 


belonged  to  different  companies.     Wherever  there 
is  human  nature  there  will  he  a  degree  of  emula- 
tion, strife,  and  a  desire  to  lessen  others,  that  we 
may  exalt  ourselves.     Dispassionate  as  my  friends 
comparatively  were,  and  bred  up   in  the  highet>t 
attainable   candour   and   innocence,  they  regarded 
the  company  most  in  competition  with  their  own 
with  a  degree  of  jealous  animosity.     Each  compa- 
ny, at  a  certain  time  of  the  year,  went  in  a  body  to 
gather  a  particular  kind  of  berries,  to  the  hills.     It 
was  a  sort  of  annual  festival,  attended  with  religious 
punctuality.     Every  company  had  an  uniform  for 
this  purpose ;  that  is  to  say,  very  pretty  light  bas- 
kets made  by  the  Indians,  with  lids  and  handles, 
which  hung  over  the  arm,  and  were  adorned  with 
various  colours.     One  company  would  never  allow 
the  least  degree  of  taste  to  the  other  in  this  in- 
stance ;  and  was  sure  to  vent  its  whole  stock  of 
spleen  in  decrying  the  rival  baskets.     Nor  would 
they  ever  admit  that  the  rival  company  gi^*.hered 
near  so  much  fruit  on  these  excursions  as  they 
did.     The  parents  of  these  children  seemed  very 
much  to  encourage  this  manner  of  marshalling  and 
dividing  themselves.     Every  child  was  permitted 
to  entertain  the  whole  company  on  its  birth-day,  and 
once  besides,  during  winter  and  spring.     The  mas- 
ter and  mistress  of  the  family  always  were  bound 
to  go  from  home  on  these  occasions,  m  hile  some 
old  domestic  was  left  to   attend  and  watch  over 
ihem,  with  an  ample  provision  of  tea,  chocolate, 
preserved  and  dried  fruits,  nuts,  and  cakes  of  va- 
rious kinds,  to  which  was  added  cyder  or  a  sylla- 
bub, for  these  young  friends  met  at  four,  and  did 
not  part  till  nine  or  ten,  and  amused  themselves 
with  the  utmost  gaiety  and  freedom  in  any  way 
their  fancy  dictated.     1  speak  from  hearsay  ;  for 
no  person  that  does  not   belong  to  the  company  is 
ever  admitted  to  these  meetings  :  other  children  or 
young   people   visit   occasionally,   and   are    civillj 
treated,  but  they  admit  of  no  intimacies  beyond 


34 


MEMOIRS  OF 


1'' 


1  ■<  [i,. 

i' 

t 
t 

it 

1 

'        '' 

'J  i    ■ 


their  company.     The  consequence  of  these  exclu- 
sive and  early  intimacies  was,  that,  grown  up,  it 
was  reckoned  a  sort  of  apostacy  to  marry  out  of 
one's  company.     And  indeed  it  did  nct  often  hap- 
pen.    The  girls,  from  the  example  of  their  mo- 
thers, rather   than  any   compulsion,   became  verj* 
early  notable  and  industrious,  being  constantly  em- 
ployed in  knitting  stockings,  and  making  clothes 
for  the  family  and  slaves ;  they  even  made  all  the 
boys*  clothes.     This  was  the  more  necessary,  as  all 
articles  of  clothing  were  extremely  dear.     Though 
all  the  necessaries    of  life,  and  some  luxuries,  a- 
bounded,  money,  as  yet,  was  a  scarce  commodity. 
This  industry  was  the  more  to  be  admired,  as  chil- 
dren were  here  indulged  to  a  degree  that,  in  our  vi- 
tiated state  of  society,  Avould  have  rendered  them 
good  for  nothing.  But  there,  where  ambition,  vanity, 
iuid  the  more  turbulent  passions  were  scarce  awa- 
kened ;  where  pride,  founded  on  birth,  or  any  ex- 
ternal pre-eminence,  was  hardly  known  ;  and  where 
the  affections  flourished  fair  and  vigorous,  uncheck- 
ed  by  the   thorns   and    thistles  with    which    our 
minds  arc  cursed  in  a  more  advanced  state  of  refine- 
ment, affection   restrained   parents  from  keeping 
their  children  at  a  distance,  and  inflicting  harsh 
punishments.     But  then  they  did  not  treat  them 
like  apes  or  parrots  ;  by  teaching  them  to  talk  with 
borrowed  words  and  ideas,  and  afterwards  gratify- 
ing their  own  vanity  by  exhibiting  these  premature 
wonders  to  company,  or  repeating  their  sayings. 
They  were  tenderly  cherished,  and  early  taught  that 
they  owed  all  their  enjoyments  to  the  divine  source 
of  beneficence,  to  whom  they  were  finally  account- 
able for  their  actions;  for  the  rest  they  were  very 
much  left  to  nature,  and  permitted  to  range  about 
at  full  liberty  in  their  earliest  years,  covered  in 
summer  with  some  slight  and  cheL»ii  garb,  which 
merely  kept  the  sun  from  them,  and  in  the  winter 
with  some  warm  habit,  in  wiiich  convenience  onl\- 
was  consulted.     Their  dress  of  ceremony  was  ne- 


AN  AMERICAN  LADY. 


o5 


ver  put  on  but  when  their  company  was  assembled. 
They  were  extremely  fond  of  their  children ;  but 
luckily  for  the  latter,  never  dreamed  of  being  vain 
of  their  immature  wit  and  parts,  which  accounts,  in 
some  measure,  for  the  ^rcat  scarcity  of  coxcombs 
among  them.  The  children  returned  the  fondness 
of  their  parents  with  such  tender  affection,  that 
they  feared  giving  them  pain  as  much  as  ours  do 
punishment,  and  very  rarely  wounded  their  feel- 
ings by  neglect,  or  rude  answers.  Yet  the  boys 
were  often  wilful  and  giddy  at  a  certain  age,  the 
girls  being  sooner  tamed  and  domesticated. 

These  youths  were  apt,  wlienever  they*  could 
carry  a  gun,  (which  they  did  at  a  very  early  period,) 
to  follow  some  favourite  negro  to  the  woods,  and, 
while  he  was  employed  in  felling  trees,  range  the 
whole  day  in  search  of  game,  to  the  neglect  of  all 
intellectual  improvement,  and  contract  a  love  of 
savage  liberty  which  might,  and  in  some  instances 
did,  degenerate  into  licentious  and  idle  habits.  In- 
deed, there  were  three  stated  periods  in  the  year 
when,  for  a  few  days,  young  and  old,  masters  and 
slaves,  were  abandoned  to  unruly  enjoyment,  and 
neglected  every  serious  occupation  for  pursuits  of 
this  nature.  .  «' 

We  who  occupy  countries  fully  inhabited  can 
form  no  idea  of  the  multitude  of  birds  and  animals 
ihat  nature  provides  to  consume  her  waste  fertility 
in  those  regions  unexplored  by  man.  In  the  inte- 
rior of  the  province  the  winter  is  much  colder  than 
might  be  supposed,  from  the  latitude  in  which  it 
lies,  which  is  only  43  degrees  36  minutes,  from 
the  keen  north  winds  which  blow  constantly  for 
four  or  five  months  over  vast  frozen  lakes  and  snowy 
tracts,  in  the  direction*  of  Canada.  The  snow  too 
lies  very  deep ;  but  when  oi\ce  they  are  visited  by 
the  south  wind  in  March,  its  literally  warm  approach 
dissolves  the  snow  like  magic;  and  one  never  sees 
another  wintry  day  till  the  season  of  cold  returns. 
These  southern  winds  seem  to  flow  in  a  rapid  cur- 


&d 


MEMOIRS  Ol 


w:i; 


nil' 


'    ■ 


iiiilll; 


■■1 ; 


'i  * 


rent,  uninterrupted  by  mountains  or  other  obstacles? 
from  the  burning  sands  of  the  Floridas,  Georgia, 
and  the  Carolinas,  and  bring  with  them  a  degree 
of  warmth,  that  appears  no  more  the  natural  result 
of  the  situation,  than  the  intense  cold  of  winter 
does  in  that  season. 

Along  the  sea  banks,  in  all  these  southern  pro- 
vinces, are  low  sandy  lands,  that  never  were  or  will 
be  inhabited,  covered  with  the  berry-bearing  myrtle, 
from  which  wax  is  extracted  fit  for  candles.  Behind 
these  banks  are  woods  and  unwholesome  swamps  of 
great  extent.  The  myrtle  groves  formerly  mention- 
ed afford  shelter  and  food  to  countless  multitudes  of 
pigeons  in  winter,  when  their  fruit  is  in  season ; 
while  wild  geese  and  ducks,  in  numbers  nearly  as 
great,  pa^ss  the  wir.ter  in  the  impenetrable  swamps 
behind.  Some  time  in  the  month  of  April,  a  general 
emir*'  ^ion  takes  place  to  the  northward,  first  of  the 
geese  and  ducks,  and  then  of  the  pigeons  ;  they  keep 
the  direction  of  the  sea  coast  till  they  come  to  the 
mouths  of  the  great  rivers,  and  then  follow  their 
course  till  they  reach  the  great  lakes  in  the  interior, 
where  nature  has  provided  for  them  with  the  same 
liberality  as  in  their  winter  haunts.  On  the  banks  of 
these  lakes  thei'e  are  large  tracts  of  ground  covered 
with  a  plant  taller  and  more  luxuriant  than  the  wild 
carrot,  but  something  resembling  it,  on  the  seeds  of 
which  the  pigeons  feed  all  the  summer,  while  they 
are  breeding  and  rearing  their  yqung.  When  they 
pass  in  spring,  which  they  always  do  in  the  same 
track,  they  go  in  great  numbers,  and  arc  very  fat. 
Their  progression  northward  and  southward  begins 
always  about  the  vernal  and  autumnal  equinoxes ; 
and  it  is  this  that  renders  the  carnage  so  great  when 
they  pass  over  inhabited  districts.  They  begin  to  fly 
in  the  dawn,  and  are  never  seen  after  nine  or  ten 
o'clock  in  the  morning,  possibly  feeding  and  rest- 
ing in  the  woods  all  tlic  rest  of  the  day.  If  the 
morning  be  dry  and  windy,  all  the  fowlers,  (that  is 
every  body)  aix;  disappouited,  for  then  they  fly  so 


AN  AMERICAN  LADY. 


37 


her  obstacles) 
das,  Georgia, 
lem  a  degree 
[latural  result 
>ld  of  winter 

ioiithern  pro- 
•  were  or  will 
aring  myrtle, 
idles.  Behind 
ne  swamps  of 
srly  mention- 
multitudes  of 
is  in  season; 
»ers  nearly  as 
'able  swamps 
pril,  a  general 
'd,  first  of  the 
s ;  they  keep 
come  to  the 
follow  their 
I  the  interior, 
ith  the  same 
the  banks  of 
)und  covered 
han  the  wild 
the  seeds  of 
,  while  they 
When  they 
in  the  same 
ire  very  fat. 
ward  begins 
equinoxes ; 
great  when 
^  begin  to  fly 
nine  or  ten 
ig  and  rest- 
lay.     If  the 
ers,  (that  it» 
they  fly  so 


high  that  no  shot  can  reach  them  :  but  in  a  cloudy 
morning  the  carnage  is  incredible  ;  and  it  is  singu- 
lar that  their  removal  falls  out  at  the  times  of  the 
year  that  the  weather  (even  in  this  serene  climate) 
is  generally  cloudy.  This  migration,  as  it  passed 
by^  occasioned,  as  I  said  before,  a  total  relaxation 
from  all  employments,  and  a  kind  of  drunken  gaie- 
ty, though  it  was  rather  slaughter  than  sport;  and, 
for  above  a  fortnight,  pigeons  in  pies  and  soups, 
and  every  way  they  could  be  dressed,  were  the  food 
of  the  inhabitants.  These  were  immediately  suc- 
ceeded by  wild  geese  and  ducks,  which  concluded 
the  carnival  for  that  season,  to  be  renewed  in  Sep- 
tember. About  six  weeks  after  the  passage  of 
these  birds,  sturgeon  of  a  large  size,  and  in  great 
quantity,  made  their  appearance  in  the  river.  Now 
the  same  ardour  seemed  to  pervade  all  ages  in  pur- 
suit of  this  new  object.  Every  family  had  a  canoe  ; 
and  on  this  occasion  all  were  launched  ;  and  these 
persevering  fishers  traced  the  course  of  the  stui 
gcon  up  the  river,  followed  them  by  torch  light,  and 
often  continued  two  nights  upon  the  water,  never 
returning  till  they  had  loaded  their  canoes  with 
this  valuable  fish,  and  many  other  very  excellent 
in  their  kinds,  that  come  up  the  river  at  the  same 
time.  The  sturgeon  not  only  furnished  them  with 
good  part  of  their  food  in  the  summer  months,  but 
^vas  pickled  or  dried  for  future  use  or  exportation. 


CHAP.  IX.  ' 

Description  of  the  Manner  in  which  the  Indiun  Traders  set  o\u 
on  tlitir  first  adventure. 

1  O  return  to  the  boys,  as  all  young  men  were 
<  ullcd  here  till  thev  married.      Thus  caiiv  train- 

E 


:i!t:!'' 


•  ■Ill  'iM  ':, 

"ii 


"  I; 


i  ,^  I 


;h 


il 


1'^  ..  i'lljii 


M} 


III 


is 


MEMOIRS  OF 


cd  to  a  love  of  sylvan  sports,  their  characters 
were  unfolded  by  contingencies.  In  this  infant 
society  penal  laws  lay  dormant,  and  every  species 
of  coercion  was  unknown. 

Morals,  founded  on  Christianity,  were  fostered 
by  the  sweet  influence  of  the  charities  of  life.  The 
reverence  which  children  in  particular  had  for  their 
parents,  and  the  young  in  general  for  the  old,  was 
the  chief  bond  that  held  society  together.  This  , 
veneration  being  founded  on  esteem,  certainly 
could  only  have  existed  thus  powerfully  in  an  un- 
corrupted  community.  It  had,  however,  an  aux- 
iliary no  less  powerful. 

Here,  indeed,  it  might  with  truth  be  said,     .    n 

**  Love  breath'd  his  infant  sighs  from  anguish  free." 

« 

In  consequence  of  this,  singular  mode  of  associa^^- 
ting  together  little  exclusive  parties  of  children  of 
both  sexes,  which  has  been  already  mentioned,  en- 
dearing intimacies,  formed  in  the  age  of  playful 
innocence,  were  the  precursors  of  more  tender  at- 
tachments. 

These  were  not  wrought  up  to  romantic  enthu- 
siasm, or  extravagant  passion,  by  an  inflamed  ima- 
gination, or  by  the  fears  of  rivalry,  or  the  artifices 
of  coquetry,  yet  they  had  power  sufficient  to  soften 
the  manners  and  elevate  the  character  of  the  lover. 

I  know  not  if  this  be  the  proper  place  to  observe, 
how  much  of  the  general  order  of  society,  and  the 
happiness  of  a  people  depends  on  marriage  being 
early  and  universal  among  tliem  ',  but  of  this  more 
hereafter.  The  desire  (undiverted  by  any  other 
passion)  of  obtaining  the  object  of  their  affection, 
was  to  them  a  stimulus  to  early  and  severe  exer- 
tion. The  enamoured  youth  did  not  listlessly  fold 
his  arms  and  sigh  over  his  hopeless  or  unfortunate 
passion.  Of  love  not  fed  by  hope  they  had  not  an 
idea.  Their  attciclmients  originated  at  too  early 
an  age,  and  in  a  circle  too  familiar  to  give  room  for 
those  first-sight  impressions  of  which  we  hear  such 


AN  AMERICAN  LADY. 


39 


wonders.  If  the  temper  of  the  youth  was  rash  and 
impetuous,  and  his  fair  one  gentle  and  complying, 
they  frequently  formed  a  rash  and  precipitate  union 
without  consulting  their  relations,  when  perhaps 
the  elder  of  the  two  was  not  above  seventeen.  This 
was  very  quietly  borne  by  the  parties  aggrieved. 
The  relations  of  both  parties  met,  and  with  great 
calmness  consulted  on  what  was  to  be  done.  The 
father  of  the  youth  or  the  damsel,  which  ever  it  was 
who  hadlnost  wealth,  or  fewest  children,  brought 
home  the  young  couple  :  and  the  new  married  man 
immediately  set  about  a  trading  adventure,  which 
was  renewed  every  season,  till  he  had  the  means 
of  providing  a  home  of  his  own.  Meantime  the 
increase  of  the  younger  family  did  not  seem  an  in- 
convenience, but  rather  a  source  of  delight  to  the 
old  people ;  and  an  arrangement  begun  from  neces- 
sity was  often  continued  through  choice  for  many 
years  after.  Their  tempers,  unruffled  by  the  end- 
less jealousies  and  competitions  incident  to  our 
mode  of  life,  were  singularly  placid,  and  the  love 
of  off'spring,  where  children  were  truly  an  unmixed 
blessing,  was  a  common  sentiment  which  united 
uU  the  branches  of  the  family  and  predominated 
over  evciy  other.  The  jarring  and  distrust,  the 
petulance  and  egotism,  which,  distinct  from  all 
weightier  considerations,  would  not  fail  to  poison 
concord,  were  diff'erent  families  to  dwell  under  one 
roof  here,  were  there  scarcely  known.  It  is  but 
justice  to  our  acquired  delicacy  of  sentiment  tt> 
say,  that  the  absence  of  refijiement  contributed  to 
this  tranquillity.  These  primitive  people,  if  they 
did  not  gather  the  flowers  of  cultivated  elegance, 
were  not  wounded  by  the  thorns  of  irritable  deli- 
cacy: they  had  neither  artificial  wants,  nor  arti- 
ficial miseries.  In  short,  they  were  neither  too 
wise  to  be  happy,  nor  too  witty  to  be  at  rest. 

Thus  it  was  in  the  case  of  unauthorized  mar- 
riages. In  the  more  ordinary  course  of  things, 
love,  which  makes  labour  light,  tamed  these  young 


^jjjjg^ 


V-£f^'^.T.HI*|gftf^i^ 


40 


MEMOIRS  Ol' 


'.'I- 


hunters,  and  transformed  them  into  diligent  and 
laborious  traders,  for  the  nature  of  their  trade 
included  very  severe  labour.  When  one  of  the 
Soys  was  deeply  smitten,  his  fowling-piece  and 
fishing  rod  were  at  once  relinquished.  He  de- 
manded of  his  father  forty  or  at  most  fifty  dollars, 
a  negro  hoy  and  a  canoe ;  all  of  a  sudden  he  as- 
sumed the  brow  of  care  and  solicitude,  and  began 
to  smoke,  a  precaution  absolutely  necessary  to 
repel  aguish  damps,  and  troublesome  insects.  He 
arrayed  liimself  in  a  habit  very  little  differing  from 
that  of  the  aborigines,  into  whose  bounds  he  was 
about  to  penetrate,  and  in  short  commenced  In- 
dian trader ;  that  slran^-c  amphibious  animal,  who 
uniting  the  acute  senses,  strong  instincts,  and  un- 
conqueraVlc  patience  and  fortitude  of  the  savage, 
with  the  art,  policy,  and  inventions  of  the  Euro- 
pean, encountered,  in  the  pursuit  of  gain,  dangers 
and  difficulties  equal  to  those  described  in  the  ro- 
mantic legends  of  chivalry. 

The  small  bark  canoe  in  which  this  hardy  adven- 
turer embarked  himself,  his  fortune,  and  his  faith- 
ful squire^  (who  was  generally  born  in  the  same 
house,  and  pre -destined  to  hi-;  service)  was  launch- 
ed amidst  the  tears  and  prayers  of  his  female  rela- 
tions, amongst  whom  was  generally  included  his 
destined  bride,  who  well  knew  herself  to  be  the 
motive  of  this  perilous  adventure. 

The  canoe  was  entirely  filled  with  coarse  strouds 
and  blankets,  guns,  powder,  beads,  Sec.  suited  to 
the  various  Nvants  and  fancies  of  the  natives  ;  one 
pernicious  article  v/as  never  wanting,  and  often 
made  a  great  part  of  the  cargo.  This  was  ardent 
spirits,  for  which  the  natives  too  early  acquired  a 
relish,  and  the  possession  of  which  always  proved 
dangerous,  and  sometime  fatal  to  the  traders. 
The  Mohawks  bringing  their  furs  and  other  peltry 
habitually  to  the  storey  of  their  wonted  friends  and 
patrons,  it  was  not  in  that  easy  and  safe  direction 
that  these  trading  adventures  ext'?ndcd.     The  cai 


AN  AMERICAN  LADY. 


41 


diligent  and 
their  trade 
I  one  of  the 
^-piece  and 
;d.  He  dc- 
fifty  dollars, 
dden  he  as- 
;,  and  began 
lecessaiy  to 
nsects.  He 
iffering  from 
nids  he  was 
mcnced  In- 
animal,  who 
cts,  and  iin- 
i"  the  savage, 
>f  the  Euro- 
;ain,  dangers 
:d  in  the  ro- 

lardy  adven- 
nd  his  faith- 
m  the  same 
was  launch- 
female  rcla- 
ncluded  his 
f  to  be  the 

arse  strouds 

c.  suited  to 

latives  ;  one 

and  often 

was  ardent 

acquired  a 
/ays  proved 
le  traders, 
other  peltry 

friends  and 
fc  direction 
1.     The  ca- 


noe generally  steered  northward  towards  the  Ca- 
nadian frontier.  They  passed  by  the  flats  and  stone- 
hook  in  the  outset  of  their  journey.  Then  com- 
menced their  toils  and  dangers  at  the  famous  wa- 
ter-fall called  the  Cohoes,  ten  miles  above  Albany, 
where  three  rivers,  uniting  their  streams  into  one, 
dash  over  a  rocky  shelf,  and  falling  into  a  gulf  be- 
low with  great  violence,  raise  clouds  of  mist  be- 
decked with  splendid  rainbows.  This  was  the  Ru- 
bicon which  they  had  to  pass  before  they  plunged 
into  pathless  woods,  ingulphing  swamps,  and  lakes, 
the  opposite  shores  of  which  the  eye  could  not 
reach.  At  the  Cohoes,  on  account  of  the  obstruc- 
tion formed  by  the  torrent,  they  unloaded  their  ca- 
noe, and  carried  it  above  a  mile  further  upon  their 
shoulders,  returning  again  for  the  cargo,  which 
they  were  obliged  to  transport  in  the  same  manner. 
This  was  but  a  prelude  to  labours  and  dangers,  in- 
credible to  those  who  dwell  at  ease.  Further  on, 
much  longer  carrying  places  frequently  recur- 
red :  where  they  had  the  vessel  and  cargo  to  drag 
through  thickets  impervious  to  the  day,  abounding 
with  snakes  and  wild  beasts,  which  are  always  to 
be  found  on  the  side  of  the  rivers. 

Their  provision  of  food  was  necessarily  small,  for 
fear  of  overloading  the  slender  and  unstable  con- 
veyance already  crowded  with  goods.  A  little  dri- 
ed beef  and  Indian  com  meal  was  their  whole  stock, 
though  they  formerly  enjoyed  both  plenty  and  vari- 
ety. They  were  in  a  great  measure  obliged  to  de- 
pend upon  their  own  skill  in  hunting  and  fishing, 
and  the  hospitality  of  the  Indians  ;  for  hunting,  in- 
deed, they  had  small  leisure,  their  time  being  se- 
dulously employed  in  consequence  of  the  obstacles 
that  retarded  their  progress.  In  the  slight  and  fra- 
gile canoes,  they  often  had  to  cross  great  lakes,  on 
which  the  wind  raised  a  terrible  surge.  Afraid  of 
going  into  the  track  of  the  French  traders,  who 
were  always  dangerous  rivals,  and  often  declared 
enemies,  they  durst  not  follow  the  direction  of  the  . 

E2 


"i'^^-^i 


42 


MEMOIRS  OF 


i'!t' 


lijiji 


river  St.  Lawrence ;  but,  in  search  of  distant  terri- 
tories and  unknown  tribes,  were  wont  to  deviate  to 
the  east  and  southwest,  forcing  their  painful  way  to- 
wards the  source  of  *  rivers  unknown  to  song,*  whose 
winding  course  was  often  interrupted  with  shallows 
and  oftener  still  by  fallen  trees  of  great  magnitude 
lying  across,  which  it  was  requisite  to  cut  through 
with  their  hatchets  before  they  could  proceed. — 
Small  rivers  which  wind  through  fertile  vallies,  in 
this  country,  are  peculiarly-  liable  to  this  obstruc- 
tion. The  chesnut  and  hickory,  ^row  to  so  large  a 
size  in  this  kind  of  soil,  that  ijii^time  they  become 
lop  heavy,  and  are  then  the  first  prey  to  the  violence 
of  the  winds ;  and  thus  falling,  form  a  kind  of  accir 
dental  bridge  over  these  rivers. 

When  the  toils  and  dangers  of  the  day  were  over, 
the  still  ^greater  terrors  of  the  night  commenced.— 
In  this,  which  might  literally  be  styled  the  howling 
wilderness,  they  were  forced  to  sleep  in  the  open 
air,  which  was  frequently  loaded  with  the  humid 
evaporation  of  swamps,  ponds,  and  redundant  vege- 
tation. Here  the  axe  must  be  again  employed  to 
procure  the  materials  of  a  large  fire  even  in  the 
Avarmest  weather.  This  precaution  w^s  necessary 
that  the  flies  and  musquetoes  might  be  expelled  by 
1-he  smoke,  and  that  the  wolves  and  bears  might  be 
'deterred  by  the  flame  from  encroaching  on  thei)»^ 
place  of  rest.  But  the  light  which  afforded  them 
protection  created  feesh  disturbance. 

•  .  .  <    •*  Loud  as  the  wolves  on  Orca's  stormy  steep, 
Howl  to  the  roarings  of  the  northern  deep," 

The  American  wolves  howl  to  the  fires  kindled  to 
affright  them,  watching  the  whole  night  on  the  sur- 
rounding hills  to  keep  up  a  concert  which  truly 
^  rendered  night  hideous.:'*  meanwhile  the  bull- 
frogs, terrible  though  harmless,  and  smaller  kinds 
of  various  tones  and  countless  numbers,  seemed  all 
jiight  calling  to  each  other  from  opposite  swamps, 
fx>rmin^  the  most  dismal  assemblage  of  discordant 


AN  AMERICAN  LADY. 


43 


distant  terri- 

to  deviate  to 
iinful  way  to- 
» song,'  whose 
with  shallows 
at  magnitude 
5  cut  through 
Id  proceed. — 
:ile  vallies,  in 

this  obstruc- 
T  to  SO  large  a 

they  become 

0  the  violence 

1  kind  of  accir 

lay  were  over, 
ommenced.— 
d  the  howling 
p  in  the  open 
th  the  humid 
dundant  vege- 

employed  to 
e  even  in  the 
W9S  necessary 
)e  expelled  by 
tears  might  be 

hing  on  theiv- 
afforded  them 


steep, 

res  kindled  to 
htonthe  sur- 
t  which  truly 
hile  the  bull- 
smaller  kinds 
rs,  seemed  all 
osite  swamps, 
5  of  discordant 


i 


://? 
■;"« 


sounds.     Though  serpents  abounded  very  much  in 
the  woods :  few  of  them  were  noxious.     The  rat- 
tle-snake, the  only  dangerous  reptile,  was  not  so 
frequently  met  with  as  in  the  neighbouring  pro- 
vinces, and  the  remedy  which  nature  has  bestowed  as 
an  antidote  to  his  bite  was  very  generally  known. 
The  beauties  of  rural  and  varied  scenery  seldom 
compensated  the  traveller  for  the  dangers  of  his 
journey.     "  In    the  close    prison   of  innumerous 
boughs,"   and  on  ground  thick   with   underwood, 
there  was  little  of  landscape  open  to  the  eye.     The 
banks  of  streams  and  lakes  no  doubt  afforded  a  rich 
variety  of  trees  and  plants :  the  former  of  a  most 
majestic  size,  the  latter  of  singular  beauty  and  lux- 
uriance ;  but  otherwise  they  only  travelled  through 
a  grove  of  chesnuts  or  oak,  to  arrive  at  another  of 
maple,  or  poplar,  or  avast  stretch  of  pines  and  other 
evergreens.     If  by  chance  they   arrived  at  a  hill 
crowned  with   cedars,  which   afforded  some  com- 
mand of  prospect,  still  the  gloomy  and  interminable 
forest,  only  varied  with  different  shades  of  green, 
met  the  eye  which  ever  way  it  turned,  while  the 
mind,  repelled  by  solitude  so  vast,  and  silence  so 
profound,  turned  inward  on  itself.     Nature  here 
wore  a  veil  rich  and  grand,  but  impenetrable  :  at 
least  this  was  the  impression  it  was  likely  to  make 
on  an  European  mind ;  but  a  native  American,  fa- 
miliar from  childhood  with  the  productions  and  in- 
habitants of  the  woods,  sought  the  nuts  and  wild 
fruits  with  which  they  abounded,  the  nimble  squir- 
rel in  all  its  varied  forms,  the  architect  beaver,  the 
savage    racoon,  and   the    stately   elk,    where   M'C 
should  see  nothing  but  awful  solitudes  untrod  by 
human  foot.     It  is  inconceivable  how  well  these 
young  travellers,  taught  by  their  Indian  friends,  and 
the  experimental  knowledge  of  their  fathers,  un- 
derstood every  soil  and  its  productions.     A  boy  of 
twelve  years  old  would  astonish  you  with  his  accu- 
rate knowledge    of  plants,  their  properties,  and 
their  relation  to  the  soil  and  to  each  other.    ♦<  Here, 


44 


MEMOIRS  OF 


:!!•'! 


*<  (said  he,)  is  a  wood  of  red  oak,  when  it  is  grubbed 
*'  up  this  will  be  loam  and  sand,  and  make  good  In- 
<<  dian  corn  ground.  This  chesnut  wood  abounds 
*^  with  strawberries,  and  is  the  yery  best  ^oil 
<<  for  wheat.  The  poplar  wood  yonder  is  not 
<^  worth  cleaning ;  the  soil  it  always  wet  and  cold. 
"  There  is  a  hiccory  wood,  where  the  soil  is  always 
*<  rich  and  deep,  and  does  not  run  out ;  such  and 
"  such  plants  that  dye  blue,  or  orange,  grow  under 
»»it." 

This  is  merely  a  slight  epitome  of  the  wide  views 
of  nature  that  are  laid  open  to  these  people  from 
their  very  inflincy,  the  acquisition  of  this  kind  of 
knowledge  being  one  of  their  Brst  amusements,  yet 
those  who  were  capable  of  astonishing  you  by  the 
extent  and  variety  of  this  local  skill,  in  objects  so 
varied  and  so  complicated,  never  heard  of  a  petal, 
corolla,  or'  stigma  in  their  lives,  nor  even  of  the 
strata  of  thut  soil  with  the  productions  and  proper- 
ties of  which  they  were  so  intimately  acquainted. 

Without  compass,  or  guide  of  any  kind,  the  trad- 
ers steered  through  these  pathless  forests.  In 
those  gloomy  days  when  the  sun  is  not  visible,  or 
in  winter,  when  the  falling  snows  obscured  his 
beams,  they  made  an  incision  on  the  burk  on  the 
diHeront  sides  of  a  tree  ;  that  on  the  north  was  in- 
variably thicker  than  the  other,  and  covered  with 
moss  in  much  greater  quantity.  And  this  never 
failing  indication  of  the  polar  influence,  was  to  thosf- 
sagacious  travellers  a  sufiicient  guide.  They  had 
indeed  several  subordinate  monitors.  Knowing  so 
well  as  they  did  the  quality  of  the  soil  by  the  trees 
or  plants  most  prevalent,  they  could  avoid  a  swamp, 
or  approach  with  certainty  to  a  river  or  high  ground 
if  such  was  their  wish,  by  means  that  to  us  would 
seem  incomprehensible.  Even  the  savages  seldom 
visited  tliesc  districts,  except  in  the  dead  of  winter  ; 
they  had  towns,  i^s  they  called  their  summer  dwel- 
lings, on  the  bunks  of  the  lakes  and  rivers  in  the 
interior,  were  their  great  fishing  places  were.     In 


iiM. 


AN  AMERICAN  LADY. 


45 


ihc  -winter,  their  grand  hunting  parties  were  in 
places  more  remote  from  our  boundaries,  where 
thc^eer  and  other  larger  animals  took  shelter  from 
the  neighbourhood  of  man.  These  single  adven- 
turers sought  the  Indians  in  their  spring  haunts  as 
soon  as  the  rivers  v»rere  open  ;  there  they  had  new 
dangers  to  apprehend.  It  is  well  known  that  among 
the  natives  of  America,  revenge  was  actually  a  vir- 
tue, and  retcdiation  a  positive  duty  :  while  faith  was 
kept  with  these  people  they  never  became  aggres- 
sors. But  the  Europeans,  by  the  force  of  bad  ex- 
ample, and'strong  liquors,  seduced  them  from  their 
wonted  probity.  Yet  from  the  first  their  notion  of 
justice  and  revenge  was  of  that  vague  and  general 
nature,  that  if  they  considered  themselves  injured, 
or  if  one  of  their  tribe  had  been  killed  by  an  inhabi- 
tant of  any  one  of  our  settlements,  they  considered 
any  individual  of  our  nation  as  a  proper  subject  for 
retribution.  This  seldom  happened  among  our  al- 
lies J  never  indeed,  but  when  the  injury  was  obvi- 
ous, and  our  people  very  culpable.  But  the  avidity 
of  gain  often  led  our  traders  to  deal  with  Indians, 
among  whom  the  French  possessed  a  degree  of  in- 
fluence, which  produced  a  smothered  animosity  to 
our  nation.  When  at  length,  after  conquering 
numberless  obstacles,  they  arrived  at  the  place  of 
their  destination,  these  daring  adventurers  found 
occasion  for  no  little  address,  patience,  and  indeed 
courage,  before  they  could  dispose  of  their  cargo, 
and  return  safely  with  the  profits. 

The  successful  trader  had  now  laid  the  foundation 
of  his  fortune,  and  approved  himself  worthy  of  her 
for  whose  sake  he  encountered  all  these  dangers.  It 
is  utterly  inconceivable,  how  even  a  single  season, 
spent  in  this  manner,  ripened  the  mhul,  and  chan- 
ged the  whole  appearance,  nay  the  very  characte** 
of  the  countenance  of  these  demi-savages,  for  such 
tiiey  seem  on  returning  from  among  their  friends 
in  the  forests.  Lofty,  sedate,  and  collected,  they 
s{  cm  masters  of  themselves,  and  independent  of 


)•'. 


46 


MEMOIRS  OF 


Pi: 


UlU! 


I.'.l 


Others ;  though  sun-burnt  and  austere^  one  scarce 
knows  them  till  they  unbend.  By  this  Indian  like- 
ness, I  do  not  think  them  by  any  means  degreed. 
One  must  have  seen  these  people,  (the  Indians  I 
mean,)  to  have  any  idea  what  a  noble  animal  man 
is,  while  unsophisticated.  I  have  been  often  amu- 
sed with  the  descriptions  thaX.  philosophers,  in  their 
closets,  who  never  in  their  lives  saw  man  but  in 
his  improved  or  degraded  state,  give  of  uncivilized 
people  ;  not  recollecting  that  they  are  at  the  same 
time  uncorrupted.  Voyagers,  who  have  not  their 
language,  and  merely  see  them  transiently,  to  won- 
der and  be  wondered  at,  are  equally  strangers  to 
the  real  character  of  man  in  a  social,  though  un- 
polished state.  It  is  no  criterion  to  judge  of  this 
state  of  apciety  by  the  roaming  savages  (truly  such) 
who  are  met  with  on  these  inhospitable  coasts 
where  nature  is  niggardly  of  her  gifts,  and  where 
the  skies  frown  continually  on  her  hard-fated  chil- 
dren. For  some  good  reason  to  us  unknown,  it  is 
requisite  that  human  beings  should  be  scattered 
through  all  habitable  space,  ^<  till  gradual  life  goes 
out  beneath  the  pole  :"  and  to  beings  so  destined, 
what  misery  would  result  from  social  tenderness  and 
fine  perceptions.  Of  the  class  of  social  beings  (for 
such  indeed  they  were)  of  whom  I  speak,  let  us 
judge  from  the  traders  who  know  their  language 
and  customs,  and  from  the  adopted  prisoners  who 
have  spent  years  among  them.  How  unequivocal, 
how  consistent  is  the  testimony  they  bear  to  their 
humanity,  friendship,  fortitude,  fidelity,  and  genero- 
sity; but  the  indulgence  of  the  recollections  thus 
suggested  have  already  led  me  too  far  from  my 
subject. 

The  joy  that  the  return  of  these  youths  occa- 
sioned was  proportioned  to  the  anxiety  their  peril- 
ous journey  hud  produced.  In  some  instances  the 
union  of  the  lovers  immediately  took  place  before  the 
next  career  of  gainful  hardships  commenced.  But 
the  more  cautious  went  to  New-York  in  winter,  dis- 
posi'd  ofthciv  peltry,  purchased  a  larger  cargo,  and 


i'r 


AN  AMERICAN  LADY. 


47 


another  slave  and  canoe.  The  next  year  they  laid 
out  the  profits  of  their  former  adventures  in  flour 
and  provisions,  the  staple  of  tlie  province  ;  this  they 
disjJbsed  of  at  the  Bennuda  islands,  where  they  ge- 
nerally purchased  one  ol  those  light  sailing  cedar 
schooners,  for  building  of  .which  those  islanders 
are  famous,  and  proceeding  to  the  leeward  isl- 
ands, loaded  it  with  a  cargo  of  rum,  sugar  and  mo- 
lasses.      .   •      ;. 

They  were  now  ripened  into  men,  and  consider- 
ed as  active  and  useful  members  of  society,  posses- 
sing a  stake  in  the  common  weal. 

The  young  adventurer  had  generally  finished  this 
process  by  the  time  he  was  one,  or  at  most,  two  and 
twenty.  He  now  marrier!,  or  if  marrried  before, 
which  pretty  often  was  th'^  -:  :-  brought  home  his 
wife  to  a  house  of  his  owi  ^-  .ther  he  kfept  hia 
schooner,  and  loading  her  with  produce,  sailed  up 
and  down  the  river  all  summer,  and  all  winter  dis- 
posed of  the  cargoes  he  obtained  in  exchange  to 
more  distant  settlers :  or  he  sold  her,  purchased 
European  goods,  and  kept  a  store.  Otherwise  he 
settled  in  the  country,  and  became  as  diligent  in  his 
agricultural  pursuits  as  if  he  had  never  known  any 
other.         ,  )*  1  •       '  ",  r 


'#/--,  V*i 

-    m 

• 

■\    "__, 

• 

1 

it*    L 

CHAP.  X. 

. 

.'     .ii: 

Marriages,  Amusements,  rural  Excursions,  Sic.  among  titc 

AlbHitiaus. 

I,,       ■     .  .  '   ■ 

1  r  was  in  this  manner  that  the  young   colonist 

made  the   transition  from  boyhood   to  manhood ; 

from  the  disengaged  and  careless  bachelor,  to  the 

provident  and   thoughtlul  father  of  a  family  ;  and 

thus  wub  spent  that  period  of  life  so  criiicul  in  po- 


48 


MEMOIRS  OF 


Hi  '  '  !  ^ 


K 


■.r. 

4'f'r^ 


lished  society  to  those  whose  condition  exempts 
them  from  manuul  labour.  Love,  undiminished  by 
any  rival  passion,  and  cherished  by  innocence  and 
candour,  w"^  here  fixed  by  the  power  of  cTarly 
habit,  and  strengthened  by  similarity  of  education, 
tastes,  and  atiachments.  Inconstancy,  or  even  in- 
diflerence  among  married  couples  was  unheard  of, 
even  where  there  happened  to  be  a  considerable 
disparity  in  point  of  intellect.  The  extreme  affec- 
tion they  bore  their  mutual  offspring  was  a  bond 
that  for  ever  endeared  them  to  each  other.  Mar- 
riage in  this  colony  was  always  early,  very  often 
happy,  and  very  seldom  indeed  interested.  When 
a  man  had  no  son,  there  was  nothing  to  be  expected 
with  a  daughter,  but  a  well  brought  up  female  slave, 
and  the  furniture  of  the  best  bed-chamber.  At  the 
death  of  her  father  she  obtained  another  division  of 
his  effects,  such  as  he  thought  she  needed  or  de- 
served, for  there  was  no  rule  in  these  cases. 

Such  was  the  manner  in  which  those  colonists 
began  life  :_  nor  must  it  be  thought  that  those  were 
mean  or  uninformed  persons.  Patriots,  magis- 
trates, generals,  those  who  were  afterwards  weal- 
thy, powerful  and  distinguished,  all,  except  a  few 
elder  brothers,  occupied  by  their  possessions  at 
home,  set  out  in  the  same  manner ;  and  in  after 
life,  even  in  the  most  prosperous  circumstances, 
they  delighted  to  recount  the  "humble  toils  and 
destiny  obscure"  of  their  early  years. 

The  very  idea  of  being  ashamed  of  any  tiling 
that  was  neither  vicious  nor  indecent  never  entered 
an  Albanian  head.  Early  accustomed  to  this  noble 
simplicity,  this  dignified  candour,  I  cannot  express 
the  contempt  and  disgust  1  felt  at  the  shame  of 
honourable  poverty,  the  extreme  desire  of  con- 
cealing our  i*eal  condition,  and  appearing  what  we 
m'C  not,  that  peculiarly  characterizes,  1  had  almost 
said  disgraces,  the  nortlifcrn  part  more  particularly 
of  this  island.  I  have  often  wondered  how  this  vile 
•sentiment}  that  undermines  all  true  greatness  of 


AN  AMERICAN  LADY. 


49 


mind,  should  prevail  more  here  than  in  England, 
where  wealth,  beyond  a  doubt,  is  more  respected, 
at  least  preponderates  more  over  birth,  and  heart, 
and  mind,  and  many  other  valuable  considerations. 
As  a  people  we  certainly  are  not  sordid,  why  then 
should  we  descend  to  the  meanness  of  being  asham- 
ed of  our  condition,  while  we  have  not  done  any 
thing  to  degrade  ourselves  ?  Why  add  a  sting  to 
poverty,  and  a  plUme  to  vanity,  by  the  poor  trans- 
parent artifice  that  conceals  nothing,  and  only 
changes  pity  into  scorn  ? 

Before  I  quit  the  subject  of  Albanian  manners,  I 
must  describe  their  amusements,  and  some  other 
peculiarities  in  their  modes  of  life.  When  I  say 
their  amusements,  I  mean  those  in  which  they  dif- 
fered from  most  other  people.  Such  as  they  had 
in  common  with  others  require  no  description. 
They  were  exceedingly  social,  an,d  visited  each 
other  very  frequently,  beside  the  regular,  assem- 
bling together  in  porches  every  fine  evening.  Of 
the  more  substantial  luxuries  of  the  table  they 
knew  little,  and  of  the  formal  and  ceremonious 
parts  of  good  breeding  still  less. 

If  you  went  to  spend  a  day  any  where,  you  were 
received  in  a  manner  we  should  think  very  cold. 
No  one  rose  to  welcome  you  ;  no  one  wondered 
you  had  not  come  sooner,  or  apologized  for  any 
deficiency  in  your  entertaiimient.  Dinner,  which 
was  very  early,  was  served  exactly  in  the  same 
manner  as  if  there  were  only  the  family.  The 
iiouse  indeed  was  so  exquisitely  neat  and  well  re-iv 
jjulated,  that  you  could  not  surprise  them ;  and 
ihcy  saw  each  other  so  often  and  so  easily,  that  in- 
timates made  no  difference.  Of  strangers  they 
were  shy;  not  by  any  means  from  want  of  hospi-',' 
tality,  but  from  a  consciousness  that  people  who 
had  little  to  value  themselves  on  but  their  know-* 
ledge  of  the  modes  and  ceremonies  of  ]|)olishe(l  .  . 
life,  disliked  their  sincerity,  and  despised  their 
sliT\i)licity.     If  you  sho\yed  no  insolent   wonder* 


itr.ii 


p 


j'l; 


fit 


!>■'< 


50 


MEMOIRS  OF  / 


*  J' 


but  easily  and  quietly  adopted  their  manners,  you 
would  receive  from  them  not  only  very  great  civi- 
lity, but  much  essential  kindness.     Whoever  has 
iiot  common  sense  and  common  gratitude  enough 
to    pay   this   tribute  of   accommodation  to  those- 
among  whom  he  is  destined  for  the  time  to  live, 
must  of  course  be  an  insulated,  discontented  be- 
ing ;  and  come  home  railing  at  the  people  whose 
social    comforts   he  disdained  to   partake.     After 
sharing    this    plain    and    unceremonious    dinner, 
which  might,  by  the  bye,  chance  to  be  a  very  good 
one,  but  was  invai'iably  that  which  was  meant  for 
the  family,  tea  was  served  in  at  a  very  early  hour. 
And  here  it  was  that  the  distinction  shown  to  stran- 
gers commenced.     Tea  here  was  a  perfect  regale  ; 
accompimied  by  various  sorts  of  cukes  unknown  to 
us,  cold  pastry,  and  great  quantities  of  sweetmeats 
and  preserved  fruits  of  various  kinds,  and  plates  of 
hiccory  and  other  nuts  ready  cracked.     In  all  man- 
ner of  confectionary  and  pastry  these  peoplQ  ex- 
celled ;  and  having  fruit  in  great  abundance,  which 
cost  them  nothing,  and  getting  sugar  home  at  an 
easy  rate,  in  retiirn  Ibr  their  exports  to  the  West- 
Indies,  the  quantity  of  these  articles  used  in  fami- 
lies, otherwise  plain  and  frugal,  was  astonishing. 
Tea  Avas  never  unaccompanied  with  some  of  these 
petty  aiticles  ;  but  for  strangers  a  great  display  was 
made.     If  you  staid  supper,  you  were  sure  of  a 
most  substantial  though  plain  one.     In  this  meal 
they  departed,  out  of  compliment  to  the  strangers, 
from  their  usual  simplity.     Having  dined  between 
twelve  and  one  you  were  quite  prepared  for  it.— 
You  had  either  game  or  poultry  roasted,  and  always 
shell-fish  in  the  season  :  you  had  also  fruit  in  abun- 
dance.    All  this  with  much  neatness,  but  no  foim. 
The  seeming  coldness  with  \vhich  you  were  first 
received,  wore  off  by  degrees.     They  could  not 
accommodate  their  topics  to  you,  and  scarcely  at- 
tempted it.   But  the  conversation  of  the  old,  though 
limited  in  regard  to  subjects,  was  rational  and  eas)-*, 


AN  AMERICAN  LADt. 


&\ 


't^A-    t 


and  had  in  it  an  air  of  originality  and  truth  not 
without  its  attractions.  That  of  the  young  was 
natural  and  playful,  yet  full  of  localities,  which 
lessened  its  interest  to  a  stranger,  but  which  were 
extremely  amusing  when  you  became  one  of  the 
initiated.  i  ».  •  .*w, 

.  <?  Their  amusements  were  marked  by  a  simplicity 
which,  to  strangers,  appeared  rude  and  childish, 
(I  mean  those  of  the  younger  class.)     In  spring, 
eight  or  ten  of  the  young  people  of  one  company, 
or  related  to  each  other,  young  men  and  maidens, 
would  set  cut  together  in  a  canoe  on  a  kind  of  rural 
excursion,  of  which  amusement  was  the  object.  Yet 
so  fixed  were  their  habits  of  industry,  that  they  never 
failed  to  carry  their  work-baskets  with  them,  not 
as  a  form,  but  as  an  ingredient  necessarily  mixed 
with  their  pleasures.     They  had  no  attendants ;  and 
steered  a  devious  course  of  four,  five,  or  perhaps 
more  miles,  till  they  arrived  at  some  of  the  beau- 
tiful islands  with  which  this  fine  river  abounded,  or 
at  some  sequestered  spot  on  its  banks,  where  de-  ^ 
licious  wild   fruits,   or  particular  conveniences  for  i 
fishing,  afforded  some  attraction.  There  they  gener- 
ally arrived  by  nine  or  ten  o'clock,  having  set  out 
in  the  cool  and  early  hour  of  sun-rise.     Often  they 
met  another  party  going,  perhaps,  to  a  different 
place,  arid  joined  them,  or  induced  them  to  take 
their   route.     A   basket  with  tea,  sugar,  and  the 
other  usual  provisions  for  breakfast,  with  the  ap- 
paratus for  cooking  it;  a  little  rum  and  fruit  for 
making  cool  weak  punch,  the  usual  beverage  in  the 
middle  of  the  day,  and  now  and  then  some  cold 
])astry,  was  the  sole  provision  ;  for  the  great  affair 
was  to  depend  on  the  sole  exertions  of  the  boys,  in. 
procuring  fish,  wild  ducks,  &c.  for  their  dinner. 
They  were  all,  like  Indians,  ready  and  dexterous 
with  the  s-.xe,  j^un,  &c.     Whenever  they  arrived 
at  their  destination  they  sought  out  a  dry  and  beau- 
tiful  spot  opposite  to  the  river,  and  in  an  instant 
with  their  axes  cleared  so  much  superfluous  shade 


»!'  >y\ 


^9 


MKMOIRS  OF    vVv 


f'    . 


wluvh  \hv\  \\%'\\\  (uul  (wIiuhI  \\w  hiHiK'hM^  *o  »»  to 

NCI  ds'V   \\\{\\  ^\\\\  ^\\\\\W\\  M\i\  x\w  Iw't'wVdxHXs  i\  \v\y 

«v^|i,ul«r  wu<l  ohoorhU  tn\o,  ooru|\i<  »1  «\\  hour  or  two  ; 

vUi^  Vxmnvt  nu»  \\w\\  xti  o\H  tt>  ttnh*  or   ^>«  rhu\>H 

shool  Uii^U»  <u\«)  ihr  umUlroH  s;U  ^>\^^ilv  down  toih«  ir 

nork»  !*iu^injc  wiul  con> »  r>*ini^^  \u\\\  »i)  five  o4uh<»  tt«H 

^N\i<^iy  tho  Urij\i»r  sicivoity  of  »U<''  ttt»u>!»pho»T  mul 

U\\uty  of  ih<t^  ?v\»n\»\uur«uyv  sriM\o  wt^iv  ruU  uUufil 

<o  vus|»iiH\     AOt  r  ihc  s\Uhy  horn's  hut!  l>orn  thuj* 

ro»|^(0\»>»U  0\o  A.ivx  hnmvvht  tholririhvuo  ri\>n\  Ou' 

riNoror  tho  >\»hhK  tuul  t\unul  u  runvi  «\ral  |«v\w»rO 

i>y  <h»  ir  l.:or  coo^xuvious.  woionjv  >n  hoo\  \vc»v  n'rur' 

^\0U  ihs  ir  jiUu  rn  tuui  ihe  choH«M\  of  \\w\v  howria. 

AOrr  <rumor  they  rtU  m^i  out  lo^Tihrr  lo  ^uthrr  wiUI 

*tm^UH  rnc*«  or  w  hatovcr  other  tVuit  w«s  iu  soanon  ; 

^»r  il  >v«*  no»o«uteU   tt  ivOrctitJu  tt»  comt»  hon\c 

vu\j>tv  h«u»dc\\.     When  wt^ricti  of  this  utuu»riuent« 

tUrv  either  ^h\u\K  tea  iu  their  hower»  or»  lvtumiu^:« 

hov^V^il  ttt  sonve  fr\euii\'*  ou  the  \v*o\  to  ^Konuke  of 

thut  iHtW^ihrneutv     Uviv»u\\UeiU 

At\other  of  t\\etr  suoooer  rtuo>seniet\ts  \va*  p:t>ing 
|t>  the  hush*  >>hoh  sxas  thus  u\iUU»);Yil ;  u  jurty  of 
youuji'  \KO|>\e  m  t  out  in  Uttle  ojhmv  ettrrU|«>^s,  st«ne- 
ihu>>v  in  the  fvxrnx  of  a  i^ij;:*  of  whieh  exery  f»uuily 
hA^  or^e  ;  every  otve  earner!  sonvethiu^j  with  hiuuns 
iu  these  e;\ses  iheiv  was  i\o  h\iutiug  to  «uKl  |>x\»vi- 
>uu\>  V>«e  h<\ni^;ht  wine  tvn*  ue^^^us* wuuher  teuauU 
vtvtVee  of  A  sujHMHor  qtuUity^  a  ihiix!  a  juj!:<'^^»^  l^e  ; 
u\  sU^vrt*  cvx^ry  o«e  Utvujifht  sonvethiuji^  t\o  nuuirr 
how  tritVtu^\  lor  there  was  uo  enuUatiou  alH>ut  the 
eNtr:\t  ofthe  e»mirih«ii\vtu  In  this  satue  hush,  ther\^ 
w  er^"  »jw>ts-,o  w  h.ieh  the  iKH^rermemlKrs  of  the  com* 
lowuity  ix'tiiY^l,  to  wvw^k  their  way  with  (xiuieut 
uu!u*u>»   ihtvujjh  twuvlx    prixaiiotv  ^uul   harvbhip, 


AN  AMKKK  AN  LADY. 


NS 


i;U»«  «o  »H  (o 
the  «\\»<»  \\w\ 


IS  was  Kt>u>K 
;  u  \Mriy  t>f 

;j  no  nuuKV 
u  alH>i«  I  he 
buih,  iher\' 
ofihccom- 

>uh  ))iaicm 


comprrd  it>  thr  plenly  luul  ruiufort  enjoyocl  by  x\w 
iTHt.  T\w\  pcrhapji  rouUl  only  uffoinl  to  hiwc  one 
nt^^.i'u  woimn»>vhoHC  children  uh  they  ^rcw  tnhho- 
r»\n\e  to  their  n\ftstertt  Hource  of  plenty  ami  euKO  : 
hnt  in  the  mean  tin\e  the  ijfooil  inaix  wwu^ht  hunl 
hin>!»elf,  with  u  little  oeetiHitinttI  m\  »ent  hinx  by  his 
lVien«l».  He  h»d  plet\ty  of  the  necesHttriea  of  life, 
but  no  h»\urie».  Hi«  wife  and  d«\t«hter»  milked 
the  cow»  und  wron^^ht  »t  the  hwy,  «nd  his  house  >v«» 
on  u  sniuller  seule  tluux  the  oUler  settlers  hiwl  theirn, 
yet  he  hml  uhvuvs  one  neatly  f\irnislie<l  i-oon^  a  very 
olean  ho\ise»  >v\th  a  nieasant  portico  befoiv  it»  pje- 
nerally  a  tine  strea-n  beside  his  dwellini^,  and  sonic 
Indian  \vi^->van)s  near  it.  lie  was  wood-sun*o\nul- 
cd,  anti  aeenxed  absohitely  to  live  iu  the  bosom  of 
juuure,  screene<l  fn>ni  all  the  artificial  ills  of  IllV  ; 
and  those  spots  cleared  of  i!\c\in\brancea,  yet  rich 
in  native  hix\u'iance,  had  a  wild  originality  about 
then*  »\oi  easily  described.  The  younj?  |mrties»  or 
sometinies  elder  t>ncs,  who  set  out  on  this  woodland 
excursion*  luul  no  fixed  destination*  they  went  ^*e- 
t\erallv  in  the  toivntH^n*  and  when  ihcv  were  tii*t>d 
of  >yoinj;j  on  the  o«^li«\ary  r»vuU  tut*ned  \nto  the  Am*A, 
and  w  henever  they  sa>v  an  inhabited  s^wt*  with  the 
appearatu'c  t>f  which  ilioy  were  pleased,  went  in 
wiih  all  the  case  of  intinuicy,  and  told  them  they 
weiv  con»e  to  spend  the  aftenu>on  their.  The 
gxH>tl  people,  tM>t  m  the  least  surprised  at  this  in- 
cursion,  \ery  calndy  opened  the  reserved  apart- 
n\cnis,  or  if  it  weiv  very  hot,  irceived  them  in  the 
\>oriico.  The  quests  pix>duceil  their  stores,  and 
they  iHiiletl  their  tea-kettle,  and  pixnided  cinnun, 
nuts,  or  any  pec\»li.ir  dainty  of  the  woods  which 
thcv  cbiinced  to  have ;  and  thcv  alwavs  furnished 
bivadand  butter,  which  ihev  had  excellent  of  their 
kinds.  They  were  inviied  to  share  iho  collation, 
uhich  they  did  with  ivix\it  ease  and  (r;u\knoss: 
fhen  diuiciuv::*  or  any  other  anvusomcnt  that  strvick 
their  f,u\cv,  succeeded.  Thcv  suunicivd  about  the 
bounds  in  the  cveuing,  iu\d  returned  bv  moonliijht. 


54 


MEMOIRS  OF 


n  '  '! 


.^r 


'u :  ■  .  I H 


These  good  people  felt  not  the  least  embarrassed 
at  the  rustic  plainness  of  everything  about  them; 
they  considered  themselves  as  on  the  way,  after  a 
little  longer  exertion  of  patient  industry,  to  have 
every  thing  that  the  others  had :  and  their  guests 
thought  it  an  agreeable  variety  in  this  abrupt  man- 
ner to  visit  their  sequestered  abodes.  rri 

•A 


■'■  ifilili'^, 


la.ii. 


ni 


h  ' 


•Rt    .?(, 


iir'**t 


•  \V'  .;  CHAP.  X.        •    ..  i  i  .!(v*'!- 
';  Winter  Amusements  of  the  Albanians,  &c.  f 

In  winter,  the  river,  frozen  to  a  great  depth,  formed 
the  principal  road  through  the  country^  and  was  the 
scene  of  all  those  amusements  of  skating  and  sledge 
races,  common  to  the  north  of  Europe.  They  used 
in  great  parties  to  visit  their  friends  at  a  distance, 
and  having  an  excellent  and  hardy  breed  of  horses, 
flew  from  place  to  place  over  the  snow  or  ice  in 
these  sledges  with  incredible  r^tpidity,  stopping  a 
little  while  at  every  house  they  came  to,  and  always 
well  received  whether  acquainted  with  the  ownero 
or  not.  The  night  never  impeded  these  trcivcllcrs, 
for  the  atmosphere  was  so  pure  and  serene,  and 
the  snow  so  reflected  the  moon  and  star-light,  that 
the  nights  exceeded  tl\e  days  in  beauty. 

In  town  all  the  boys  were  extravagantly  fond  of 
u  diversion  that  to  us  would  appear  a  very  odd  and 
childish  one.  The  great  street  of  the  town,  in  the 
midst  of  which,  as  has  been  formerly  mentioned, 
>stood  all  the  churches  and  public  buildings,  sloped 
down  from  the  hill  on  which  the  fort  stood,  towards 
the  river ;  between  the  buildings  was  an  unpaved 
carriage  road,  the  foot-path  beside  the  houses  be- 
ijig  the  only  part  of  the  street  which  was  payed. 
In  winter  this  sloping  descent,  continued  for  more 


:,  \.- 


AN  AMERICAN  LADY. 


55 


than  a  quarter  of  a  mile,  acquired  firmness  from  the 
frosty  and  became  extremely  slippery.     Then  the 
amusement  commenced.     Every  boy  and  youth*  in 
town,   from  eight  to  eighteen,  had   a  little   low 
sledge,  made  with  a  rope  like  a  bridle  to  the  front, 
by  which  it  could  be  dragged  after  one  by  the  hand. 
On  this  one  or  two  at  most  could  sit,  and  this  slop- 
ing descent  being  made  as  smooth  as  a  looking  glass, 
by  sliders'  sledges,  &c.  perhaps  a  hundred  at  once 
set  out  in  succession  from  the  top  of  this  street, 
each  seated  in  his  little  sledge  with  the  rope  in  his 
hand,  which,  dirawn  to  the  right  or  left,  served  to 
guide  him.     He  pushed  it  off  with  a  little  stick, 
as  one  would  launch  a  boat^  and  then,  with  the 
most    astonishing   velocity,    precipitated   by  the 
weight  of  the  dwner,  the  little  machine  glided  past, 
and  was  at  the  lower  end  of  the  struct  in  an  instant. 
What  could   be  so  delightful  in  this  rapid  and 
smooth  descent  I  could  never  discover;  though 
in  a  more  retired  place,  and  on  a  smaller  scale, 
I  have  tried  the  amusement :  but  to  a  young  Al- 
banian, sleighing  as  he  called  it,  was  one  of  the 
first  joys  of  life,  though  attended  by  the  drawback 
of  walking  to  the  top  of  the  declivity  dragging  his 
sledge  every  time  he  renewed  his  flight,  ror  such 
it  might  well  be  called.     In  the  managing  this  little 
machine  some  dexterity   was  necessary ;   an  un- 
skilful Phaeton  was  sure  to  fall.     The  conveyance 
was  so.  low,  that  a  fall  was  attended  with  little  dan- 
ger, yet  with  much  disgrace,  for  an  universal  laugh 
trom  all  sides  assailed  the  fallen  charioteer.     This 
laugh  was  from  a  very  full  chorus,  for  the  constant 
and  rapid  succession  of  this  procession,  where  every 
one  had  a  brother,  lover,  or  kinsman,  brought  all  the 
young  people  in  toAvn  to  the  porticos,  where  they 
used  to  sit  wrapt  in  furs  till  ten  or  eleven  at  night, 
engrossed  by  this  delectable  spectacle.     What  ma- 
gical attraction  it  could  possibly  have,  I  never  could 
find  out;  but  I  have  known  an  Albanian,  after  re- 
siding some  years  in  Britain,  and  becoming  a  pol- 


5G 


m    MEMOIRS  OF  A 


\m. 


<   ;iw- 


ishcd  fine  gentleman,  join  the  sport,  and  slide  down 
with  .thcrest.  Perhaps,  after  all  our  laborious  re- 
finements in  amusement,  being  easily  pleased  is 
one  of  the  great  secrets  of  happiness,  as  far  as  it 
is  attaiiiable  in  this  ^^  frail  and  feverish  being/' ! 
I  Now  there  remains  another  amusement  to  be 
described,  wliich  I  mention  with  reluctance,  and 
should  scarce  venture  to  mention  at  all  had  I  not 
found  a  precedent  for  it  among  the  virtuous  Spar- 
tans. Had  Lycurgus  himself  been  the  founder  of 
their  community,  the  young  men  could  scarce  have 
stolen  with  more  alacrity  and  dexterity.  I  could 
never  conjecture  how  the  custom  could  possibiy 
originate  among  a  set  of  people  of  such  pt-rfectand 
plain  integrity.  But  thus  it  was.  The  young  men 
now  ulid  then  spent  a  convivial  evening  at  a  tavern 
together*  where,  from  the  extreme  cheapness  of 
liquor,  their  bills  (even  when  they  conimitted  an 
occasional  excess)  were  very  moderate.  Either 
to  lessen  th^e  expense  of  the  supper,  or  from  the 
pure  love  of  what  they  styled  frolic,  (Anglice  misr 
chief,)  they  never  failed  to  steal  either  a  roasting 
pig  or  a  fat  turkey  for  this  festive  occasion.  The 
town  was  the  scene  of  these  depredations,  which 
never  extended  beyond  it.  Swine  and  turkeys  were 
reared  in  great  numbers  by  all  the  inhabitants. 
For  those  they  bi-ought  to  town  in  winter,  they  had 
Mn  appropriate  place  at  the  lower  en'd  of  the  gar- 
den, in  which  they  were  locked  up.  It  is  observa- 
ble, that  these  animals  were  the  only  things  locked' 
up  about  the  house,  for  this  good  reason,  that  no- 
thing else  ran  the  least  risk  of  being  stolen.  The 
dexterity  of  the  theft  consisting  in  climbing  over 
very  high  walls,  watching  to  steal  in  when  the  ne- 
groes went  down  to  feed  the  horse  or  cow,  or  mak- 
ing a  clandestine  entrance  at  some  window  or  aper- 
ture :  breaking  up  doors  was  quite  out  of  rule,  and 
rarely  ever  resorted  to.  These  exploits  were  al- 
ways performed  iu  the  darkest  nights ;  if  the  own- 
er, heard  a  noiie  in  his  stables,  he  usually  ran  down 


'  \ 


AN  AMERICAN  LADY. 


>f 


witli  a  cudgel,  and  laid  it  without  mercy  on  any 
culprit  he  could  overtake.  This  was  either  dex- 
terously avoided  or  patiently  borne.  To  plunder  a 
man,  and  afterwards  offer  him  any  personal  injury, 
was  accounted  scandalous  ;  but  the  turkies  or  pigs 
were  never  recovered.  In  some  instances  a  whole 
band  of  these  young  plunderers  would  traverse  the 
town,  and  carry  off  such  a  prey  as  would  aifprd 
provision  for  many  jovial  nights.  Nothing  was 
more  common  than  to  find  one's  brptliers  or  n,e- . 
phcws  amongst  these  pillagers.  nfj- 

Marriage  was  followed  by  two  dreadful  priva- 
tions :  a  married  man  could  not  fly  down  the  street, 
in  a  little  sledge,  or  join  a  party  of  pig-stcalers, 
without  outraging  decorum.     If  any  of  their  con- 
federates  married,  as  they    frequently   did,  very 
young,  and  were  in  circumstances  tp  begin  house- 
keeping, they  were  sure  of  an  early  visit  of  this 
nature  from  their  old  confederates.     It  was  thought 
a  great  act  of  gallantry  to   overtake  and  chastisQ 
the  robbers.     1  recollect  an  instance  of  one  young 
married  man,  who  had  not  long  attained  to  that 
dignity,  whose   turkies   screaming    violently   one 
night,  he  ran  down  to  chastise  the  aggressors ;  he 
overtook  them  in  the  fact :  but  finding  they  wer^ 
his  old  associates,   could  not  resist  the  force  of 
habit,'  joined  the  rest  in  another  exploit  of  the  same  , 
nature,   and   then  shared  his  own  turkey   at   the 
tavern.     There  were  two  inns   in  the   town,  the 
masters   of  which  were  «  honourable    men  ;'*  yet 
these  pigs  and  turkies  were  always  received  and 
dressed  without  questioning  whence  they  came.    In 
one  instance,  a  young  party  had  in  this  in:xnne? 
provided  u  pig,  and  ordered  it  to  be  roasted  at  the 
King's  Arms ;    another  party   attacked  the  same 
place  whence  tl  is  booty  was  taken,  but  found  it 
already  rifled.     This  party  was  headed  by  an  idle 
mischievous  young  man,  who  was  the  Ned  Poinst 
of  his  fratern'  /;  well   guessing   how  the  stolen 
roasting  pig  was  disposed  of,  he  ordered  his  friends' 


/ 


•   J^;^S.S«fe:^..,. 


sa 


f*y     MEMOIRS  or 


'     I 


to  adjourn  to  the  rival  tavern,  and  went  himself  to 
the  King's  Arms.  Inquiring  in  the  kitchen  (where 
a  pig  was  roasting)  who  supped  there,  he  soon  ar- 
rived at  certainty :  then  taking  an  ^opportunity 
when  there  Mas  no  one  in  the  kitchen  but  the  cook- 
maid,  he  sent  for  one  of  the  jovial  party,  who  were 
at  cards  up  stairs.  During  her  absence,  he  cut  the 
string  by  wliich  the  pig  was  suspended,  laid  it  in 
the  dripping-pan,  and  through  the  quiet  and  dark 
streets  of  that  sober  city,  carried  it  safely  to  the 
other  tavern:  where,  after  finishing  the  roasting^ 
he  and  his  companions  prepared  to  regale  them- 
selves. Mean  time  the  pig  was  missed  at  the  King's 

■'Anns;  and  it  was  immediately  concluded,  from 
the  dexterity  and  address  with  which  this  trick  was 
performed,  that  no  other  but  the  Poins  aforesaid 
could  be  the  author  of  it.  A  new  stratagem  was 
now  devised  to  outwit  this  stealer  of  the  stolen. 
An  adventurous  youth  of  the  despoiled  party  laid 
down  a  parcel  of  shavings  opposite  to  tlie  other 
tavern,  and  setting  them  in  a  blaze,  cried  fire  !  a 
most  alarming  sound  here,  where  such  accidents 
were  too  frequent.  Every  one  rushed  out  of  the 
house,  where  supper  had  been  just  served.  The 
dexterous  purveyor,  who  had  occasioned  all  this 
distui'bance,  stole  in,  snatched  up  the  dish  with 
the  pig  in  it,  stole  out  again  by  the  back  door, 
and  feasted  his  companions  with  the  recovered 
spoils. 

\  These  were  a  few  idle  young  men,  the  sons  of 
avaricious  fathers,  who,  grudging  to  advance  the 
means  of  pushing  them  forward  by  the  help  of 
their  own  mdustry  to  independence,  allowed  them 
to  remain  so  long  unoccupied,  that  tlieir  time  was 
wasted,  and  habits  of  conviviality  at  length  dege- 
nerated in  those  of  dissipation.  These  were  not 
only  pitied  and  endured,  but  received  with  a  degree 
of  kindness  and  indulgence  that  was  wonderful, 
They  were  usually  a  kind  of  wags,  went  about  like 
privileged  persons,  at  whose  jests   no   one  tooh 


h 


AN  AMERICAN  LADY 


59^ 


Tnt  himself  to 
Ititchen  (where 
re,  he  soon  ar- 
il  t)pportunity 
n  but  the  cook- 
arty,  who  were 
ice,  he  cut  the 
ded,  laid  it  in 
quiet  and  dark 
t  safely  to  the 
J  the  roasting) 
>  regale  them- 
;d  at  the  King's 
included,  from 
I  this  trick  was 
Poins  aforesaid 
stratagem  was 
of  the  stolen, 
)iled  party  laid 
to  the  other 
cried  lire  !  a 
such  accidents 
led  out  of  the 
served.     The 
sioned  all  this 
the  dish  with 
le  back   door, 
the    recovered 

n,  the  sons  of 
to  advance  the 
y  the  help   of 

allowed  tliem 
their  time  was 
length  dege- 
lese  were  not 

with  a  degree 

as  wonderful, 
^ent  about  likt 
no    (;nc  tooh 


t 


ofl'encc:  and  were  in  their  discourse  and  style  of 
humour,  so  much  like  Shakspeare's  clowns,  thaf 
on  reading  that  admirable  author,  I  thought  I  re- 
cognized my  old  acquaintances.  Of  these,  how- 
ever, 1 5aw  little,  the  society  admitted  at  my  friend's' 
being  very  select. ,  .  ,  :..      ..  ^ 


\ 


'/;  V")  i.  fV'f'' 


I 


..I 


'•   Vi; 


) 


)  lUi 


''fl 


;4.i; 


try 


yit  '■U'iiktriJ.'h  iinf 
!    ,.  ■^k''r<,.:^A    \i  I,;    \fhf. 

i<;;     CHAP.  XI.  •V''-   't^^<^»>^   -ffu 


>!'."/ 


ligy -Brothers. — Catalina— 'Uetachcd  Indians. 


±5  EF'ORE  1  quitthis  attempt  to  delineate  the  mem- 
bers of  which  this  community  was  Composed,  I  must 
mention  a  class  of  aged  persons,  who,  united  by  the 
same  recollections,  pursuits,  and  topics,  associated 
very  much  with  each  other,  and  very  little  with  a 
world  which  they  seemed  to  have  renounced.  They 
might  be  styled  luy -brothers,)  and  were  usually  wid- 
owers, or  persons,  who,  in  consequence  of  some 
early  disappointment,  had  remained  unmarried.— 
These  were  not  devotees  who  had,  as  was  formerly 
often  the  case  in  Ciitholic  countries,  run  from  the 
extreme  of  licei^tiousliess  to  that  of'  bigotry.     They 
were  generally  persons  who  were  never  marked  as 
being  irreligious  or  immoral ;  and  just  as  little  dis- 
tinguished   for   peculiar  strictness,  or   devotional 
fervour.     These  good  men  lived  in  the   house  of 
some   relation,  where  they    had  their  own   apart- 
ments to  themselves  ;  and  only  occasionally  mixed 
with  the  family.     The  people  of  the  town  lived  to 
a  great  age  ;  ninety  was  frequently  attained  ;  and  I 
have  seen  clift'ercnt  individuals  of  both  sexes  who 
iiad  reached  an  hundred.     These  ancients  seemed 
to  phce  all  their  delight  in  pious  books  and  devo- 
tional  exercises,  paniculurly    in   singing   i>aalms, 
which  they  would  do  in  tlieir  own  upariments  for 


mjmk^^ 


%:i'i 


i 


'  1 


.  ' 

t 

If 

V, 

t 

hi  ■  ■ 

( 

\  ■    * 

\ 

1 

, 

t»! 

\ 

J"      1 

f\ 


'J: 


h 


«. 


CO 


MEMOIRS  OK 


hours  together.  They  came  out  and  in  like  ghosts*,, 
and  were  treated  in  the  same  manner ;  for  they  ne- 
ver spoke  unless  when  addressed^  and  seemed  very 
careless  of  the  things  ofthis  world,  like  people  who 
had  got  above  it.  Yet  they  were  much  together, 
and  seemed  to  enjoy  each  other's  conversation.— 
Retrospection  on  the  scenes  of  early  life,  anticipa- 
tion of  that  futurity  so  closely  veiled  from  our  sight, 
and  discussions  regarding  different  passages  of  ho- 
ly writ,  seemed  their  favourite  themes.  They  were 
mild  and  benevolent,  but  abstracted,  and  unlike 
other  people.  Their  happiness,  for  happy  1  am 
convinced  they  were,  was  of  a  nature  peculiar  to 
themselves*  not  obvious  to  others.  Others  there 
were  not  deficient  in  their  attention  to  religious 
duties,  who  living  in  the  bosom  of  their  families, 
took  an  Active  and  cheerful  concern  to  the  last  in 
all  that  amused  or  interested  them;  and  I  never" 
understood  that  the  luy-brothers,  as  I  have  chosen 
lo  call  them,  blunuul  them  for  so  doing.  One  of 
ihe  first  christian  virtues,  charity,  in  the  most  obvi- 
ous and  common  sense  of  the  word,  had  little  scope. 
Here  a  beggar  was  unheard  of.  People,  such  as  I 
have  described  hi  the  />;/«/(,  or  going  there,  were  no 
more  considered  as  objects  of  pily,  than  we  consi- 
der an  apprentice  as  such  for  having  to  serve  his 
lime  before  he  sets  up  for  himself.  In  such  cases, 
the  wealthier,  because  older  settlers,  frequently 
gave  a  heifer  or  colt  euch  to  a  new  beginner,  who 
set  about  clearing  land  in  their  vicinity.  Orphans 
were  never  neglected  ;  and  from  their  early  mar- 
riages, and  the  casualties  their  manner  of  life 
subjected  them  to,  these  were  not  unfrequent. — 
Vou  never  entered  a  house  without  meeting  chil- 
dren. Maidens,  bachelors,  and  childless  married 
people,  all  adopted  orphans,  and  all  treated  them  as 
if  they  were  their  own. 

Having  given  a  sketch,  that  appears  to  my  re- 
tolleciion  (aided  by  subsequent  conversations  with 
my  fallow  travellers)  u  fiiitlifiil  one,  of  the  country 


AN  AMERICAN  LADV. 


6\ 


and  its  inhabitants,  it  is  time  to  return  to  the  histo- 
ry of  the  mind  of  Miss  Schuyler,  for  by  no  other 
circumstances  than  prematurity  of  intellect,  and 
superior  culture,  were  her  earliest  years  distin- 
guished. Iler  father,  dyinii^  early,  left  her  very 
much  to  the  tuition  of  his  brother.  Her  uncle's 
frontier  situation  made  him  a  kind  of  barrier  to  the 
settlement;  while  th»^  powerful  influence,  that  his 
knowledge  of  nature  and  of- character,  his  sound 
judgment  and  unstained  integrity,  had  obtained 
over  both  parties,  made  him  the  bond  by  wiiich  the 
aborigines  were  united  with  the  coloaists.  Thus, 
little  leisure  was  left  him  fordomesiic  enjoyments, 
or  literary  pursuits,  for  both  of  which  his  mind  was 
peculiarly  adapted.  Of  the  leisure  time  ho  could 
command,  however,  he  made  the  best  use  ;  and  soon 
distinguishing  CataHna  as  the  one  amongst  his  fam- 
ily to  whom  nature  had  been  most  liberal,  he  was  at 
the  pains  to  cultivate  her  ta^te  for  reading,  which 
soon  discovered  itself,  by  procuring  for  her  the  best 
authors  in  history,  divinity,  and  belles-lettres ;  in 
this  latter  branch  her  reading  was  not  very  ex- 
tensive ;  but  then  the  few  books  of  this  kind  that 
she  possessed  were  very  well  chosen;  and  she  was 
early  and  intimately  fan\iiiar  with  them.  What  I 
remember  of  her,  assisted  by  romp.irisons  since 
made  with  others,  has  1<  d  me  to  think  that  extensive 
reading,  superHcial  and  indiscriminate,  such  us  the 
very  easy  access  to  books  innong  us  encourages,  is 
not  at  an  early  period  of  life  favourable  to  solid 
thinking,  true  taste,  or  fixed  principle.  Whatever 
,she  knew,  she  knew  to  the  bottom;  and  the  reflec- 
tions, which  were  thus  suggesied  to  her  strong  dis- 
cerning mind,  were  digested  by  means  of  easy  and 
instructive  conversation.  Colonel  Schuyler  had 
many  relations  in  New- York  ;  and  the  governor  and 
other  ruling  characters  tiiere  ci.refully  cultivated 
the  ucquauitunce  of  u  person  so  well  (lualified  to 
instruct  and  inform  them  on  certain  points  as  he 
was.     lla\ing  considerable  dudings  in  the  fur  ivub' 


■a»fctej*.«*sfe.-..ii. 


MEMOIRS  OF 


V  m 


*:['■;:■ 


il  ,>■ .'     't 


I  '! 


f   ••  M 


'J>      •. 


too,  he  went  every  \v  inter  to  the  capital  for  a  short 
time,  to  adjust  his  commercial  concerns,  and  often 
took  his  favourite  niece  along  with  him,  who,  be- 
ing of  an  uncommon  quick  growth  and  tall  stature, 
soon  attracted  attention  by  her  personal  graces,  as 
well  as  by  the  charms  of  her  conversation.     I  have 
been  told,  and  should  conclude  from  a  picture  I 
have  seen  dl'awn  when  she  was  fifteen,  that  she  was 
in  her  youth  very  handsome.     Of  this  few  traces 
remained  when  I  knew  her :  excessive  corpulence 
having  then  overloaded  her  majestic  person,  and 
entirely  changed  the  aspect  of  a  countenance  once 
eminently  graceful.     In  no  place  did  female  excel- 
lence of  any  kind  more  amply  receive  its  due  tri- 
bute of  applause  and  admiration  than  here,  for  vari- 
ous reasons :  First,  cultivation  and  refinement  were 
rare.     Then,  as  it  was  not  the  common  routine 
that  women    should   necessarily  have   such    and 
such  accomplishments,  pains  were  only  taken  on 
minds  strong  enough  to  bear  improvements  with- 
out becoming  conceited  or  pedantic.     And  lastly, 
as  the  spur  of  emulation  was  not  invidiously  appli- 
ed, those  who  aL(j[uired  a  superior  degree  of  know* 
ledge  considered  themselves  as  very  fortunate  in 
liavhig  a  new  source  of  enjoyment  opened  to  them. 
But  never  having  beei*  made  to  understand  that  the 
chief  motive  of  excelling  was  to  dazzle  or  outshine 
others,  they  no  more  thought  of  despising  their  less 
fortunate  companions,  than  of  assuming  pre-emi- 
nence for  discovering  a  wild  plum-tree  or  bee- 
Iiivc  in  the  woods,  though,  as  in  the  former  case, 
they  would  have  regarded  such  a  discovery  as  a 
benefit  and  u  pleasure  ;  their  acquisitions,  there- 
fore, were  never  shaded  by  affectation.     The  wo- 
men wcrn  all  natives  of  the  country,  and  few  had 
more  than  domestic  education.     But  men,  who  pos- 
sessed tlie  advantages  of  early  culture  and  usage  of 
the  world,  dJly  arrived  on  the  continent  from  dif- 
ferent parts  of  Europe.     So  that  if  we  may  be  in- 
dulged in  the  inelegant  liberty  of  talking  couimer- 
ciully  i»r  iciuule  ciegauce,  the  supply  was  not  equal 


AN  AMERICAN  LADY. 


63 


to  the  demand.  It  may  be  easily  supposed  that 
Miss  Schuyler  met  with  due  attention ;  who,  even 
at  this  early  age,  was  respected  for  the  strength  of 
her  character,  and  the  dignity  and  composure  of 
her  manners.  Her  mother,  whom  she  delighted 
to  recollect,  was  mild,  pious  and  amiable  ;  her  ac- 
knowledged worth  was  chastened  by  the  utmost 
diffidence.  Yet  accustomed  to  exercise  a  certain 
power  over  the  minds  of  the  natives,  she  had  great 
influence  in  restraining  their  irregularities,  and 
swaying  their  opinions.  From  her  knowledge  of 
their  language,  and  habit  of  conversing  with  them, 
some  detached  Indian  families  resided  for  a  while 
in  summer  in  the  vicinity  of  houses  occupied  by  the 
more  wealthy  £Uid  benevolent  inhabitants.  They 
generally  built  a  slight  wigwam  under  shelter  of  the 
orchard  fence  on  the  shadiest  side;  and  never  were 
neighbours  more  harmless,  peaceable  and  obliging ; 
I  might  truly  add,  industrious :  for  in  one  way  or 
other  they  were  constantly  occupied.  The  women 
and  their  children  employed  themselves  in  many 
ingenious  handicrafts,  which,  since  the  introduc- 
tion of  European  arts  and  manufactures,  have  great- 
ly declined.  Baking  trays,  wooden  dishes,  ladles 
and  spoons,  shovels  and  rakes,  brooms  of  a  pecu- 
liar manufacture,  made  by  splitting  a  birch  block 
into  slender  but  tough  filaments;  baskets  of  all 
kinds  and  sizes,  made  of  similar  filaments,  enriched 
with  the  most  beautiful  colours,  which  they  alone 
knew  how  to  extract  from  vegetable  substances, 
and  incorporate  with  the  wood.  They  made  also 
of  the  birch  bark,  (which  is  here  so  strong  and  te- 
nacious, that  cradles  and  canoes  are  made  of  it,) 
many  receptacles  for  holding  fruit  and  other  things 
curiously  adorned  with  embroidery,  not  inelegant, 
done  with  the  sinews,  of  deer,  and  leggions  and 
moomesans,  a  very  comfortable  and  highly  orna- 
mented substitute  for  shoes  and  stockings,  then 
universally  used  in  winter  among  the  men  of  our 
own  people.  They  had  also  a  beautiful  manufac- 
VU'v  of  deer  skin,  softened  to  the  consistence  of  the 


.  :i**^/-M*,  fiiait.  A..-: 


^4 


MEMOIRS  Of 


m-: 


1.;.'' 


If:;:1 


finest  Chamois  leather,  and  embroidered  with  bead's 
of  wampum,  formed  like  bugles  ;  these,  with  great 
art  and  industry,  they  formed  out  of  shells,  which 
had  the  appearance  of  fine  white  porcelain,  veined 
with  purple.  This  embroidery  showed  both  skill 
and  taste,  and  was  among  themselves  highly  valued. 
They  had  belts,  large  embroidered  garters,  and 
many  other  ornaments,  formed,  first  of  sinews,  di- 
vided to  the  size  of  coarse  thread,  and  afterwards, 
when  they  obtained  worsted  thread  from  us,  of  that 
material,  formed  in  a  manner  which  I  could  nevcp 
comprehend.  It  was  neither  knitted  nor  wrought 
in  the  manner  of  net,  nor  yet  woven  ;  but  the  tex- 
ture was  formed  more  like  an  officer's  sash  than  any 
thing  I  can  compare  it  to.  While  the  women  and 
children  were  thus  employed,  the  men  sometimes 
assisted  them  in  the  more  laborious  part  of  their 
business,  but  oftener  occupied  theniselves  in  fish- 
ing on  the  rivers,  and  drying  or  preserving,  by 
means  of  smoke,  in  sheds  erected  for  the  purpose, 
sturgeon  and  large  eels,  which  they  caught  in  great 
quantities,  and  of  an  extraordinary  size,  for  winter 
pipvision. 

Boys  on  the  verge  of  manhood,  and  ambitious  to 
be  admitted  into  the  hunting  parties  of  the  ensuing 
winter,  exercised  themselves  in  trying  to  improve 
their  skill  in  archery,  by  shooting  birds,  squirrels^ 
luid  racoons^  These  petty  huntings  helped  to  sup- 
port the  little  colony  in  the  neighbourhood,  which 
however  derived  its  principal  subsistence  from  an 
exchange  of  their  manufactures  with  the  neigh- 
bouring family  for  milk,  bread,  and  other  articles  of 
food. 

The  summer  residence  of  these  ingenious  arti. 
sans  promoted  a  great  intimacy  between  the  females 
of  the  vicinity  and  the  Indian  women,  whose  saga- 
city and  comprehension  of  mind  were  beyond  bc- 
Jief. 

It  is  a  singular  circuuistance,  that  though  they 
auvf  the  negroes  in  every  respectable*  family  not. 


AN  AMERICAN  LADY. 


65 


only  treated  with  humanity,  but  cherished  with  pa- 
rental kindness,  they  always  regarded  them  with 
contempt  and  dislike,  as  an  inferior  race,  and  would 
have  no  communication  with  them.  It  was  neces- 
sary then  that  all  conversations  should  be  held,  and 
all  business  transacted  with  these  females,  by  the 
mistress  of  the  family.  In  the  infancy  of  the  settle- 
ment the  Indian  language  was  familiar  to  the  more 
intelligent  inhabitants,  who  found  it  very  useful, 
and  were,  no  doubt,  pleased  with  its  nervous  and 
emphatic  idiom,  and  its  lofty  and  sonorous  cadence. 
It  was  indeed  a  noble  and  copious  language,  when 
onr^  considers  that  it  served  as  the  vehicle  of  thought 
to  a  people  whose  ideas  and  sphere  of  action  we 
should  consider  as  so  very  confined. 


CHAP.  XIII. 

Progress  of  knowledge.— Indian  manners. 


ler  articles  of 


V_  ON  VERSING  with  those  interesting  and  deep- 
ly reflecting  natives,  was  to  thinking  minds  no  mean 
source  of  entertainment.  Communication  soon 
grew  easier ;  for  the  Indians  had  a"  singular  facility 
in  acquiring  other  languages ;  the  children  I  well 
remember,  from  experimental  knowledge,  for  I  de- 
lighted to  hover  about  the  wigwam,  and  converse 
with  those  of  the  Indians,  and  we  very  frequently* 
mingled  languages.  But  to  return:  whatever 
comfort  or  advantage  a  good  and  benevolent  mind 
possesses,  it  is  willing  to  extend  to  others.  The 
mother  of  my  friend,  and  other  matrons,  who  lik^ 
her  experienced  the  consolations,  the  hopes,  and 
the  joys  of  chrisdanity,  wished  those  inestimable  na- 
tives to  share  in  their  pure  enjoyments,    i 

G2       . 


60 


MEMOIRS  or 


t  df-'-'u  '1 


Of  all  others  these  mild  and  prurtical  christians 
were  the  best  fitted  for  making  proselytes.  Unlike 
professed  missionaries,  whose  zeal  is  not  always 
seconded  by  judjrmcnt,  they  did  not  begin  by 
-alarming  the  jealousy  with  which  all  manner  of 
people  watch  over  their  hereditary  prejudices. 
Engaged  in  active  life,  they  had  daily  opportuni- 
ties of  demonstrating  the  truth  of  their  religion 
by  its  influence  upon  their  conduct.  Equally  una- 
ble and  unwilling  to  enter  into  deep  disquisitions 
or  polemical  arguments,  their  calm  and  unstudied 
explanations  of  the  essential  doctrines  of  Chris- 
tianity, were  the  natural  results  which  arose  out  of 
their  ordinary  conversation.  To  make  this  better 
xmderstood,  1  must  endeavour  to  explain  what  I 
have  observed  in  the  unpolished  society,  that  occu- 
pies th<^  wild  and  remote  regions  of  different 
countries.  Their  conversation  is  not  only  more 
original,  but,  however  odd  the  expression  may  ap- 
pear, more  philosophical  than  that  of  persons  equal- 
ly destitute  of  mental  culture  in  more  populous 
districts.  They  derive  their  subjects  of  reflection 
and  conversation  more  from  natural  objects,  which 
lead  minds,  possessing  a  certain  degree  of  intelli- 
gence, more  forward  to  trace  effects  to  their  cau- 
ses. Nature  there,  too,  is  seen  arrayed  in  virgin 
beauty  and,  simple  majesty.  Its  various  aspects  are 
more  grand  and  impressive.  Its  voice  is  more  dis- 
tictly  heard,  and  sinks  deeper  into  the  heart — 
These  people,  more  dependent  on  the  simples  of 
the  fields  and  the  wild  fruits  of  the  woods  ;  better 
acquainted  with  the  fonnsand  instincts  of  the  birds 
and  beasts,  their  fellow  denizens  in  the  wild ;  and 
more  observant  of  every  constellation  and  every 
change  in  the  sky,  from  living  so  much  in  the  open 
air,  have  a  wider  range  of  ideas  than  we  are  aware 
of.  With  us,  art  every  where  combats  nature,  op- 
poses her  plainest  dictates,  and  too  often  conquers 
iicr.  The  poor  are  so  confined  to  the  spot  where 
(licir  occupations  lie,  so  engrossed  by  their  striig- 


AN  AMERICAN  LADV. 


67 


gles  for  daily  bread,  and  so  surrounded  by  the 
Works  of  man,  that  those  of  their  Creator  are  al- 
most excluded  from  their  view,  at  least  form  a  very 
small  part  of  the  subjects  that  engross  their 
thoughts.  What  knowledge  they  have  is  often 
merely  the  busks  and  orts  that  fall  from  the  table 
of  their  superiors,  which  they  swallow  withoul? 
chewing. 

Many  of  those  who  are  one  degree  above  the 
lowest  class,  see  nature  in  poetry,  novels,  and  other 
books,  and  never  think  of  looking  for  her  any  where 
else  :  like  a  person  amused  by  seeing  the  reflec- 
tion of  the  starry  heavens  or  shifting  clouds  in  a 
calm  lake,  never  lifting  his  eyes  to  those  objects 
of  which  he  sees  the  imperfect  though  resembling 
pictures. 

Those  who  live  in  the  undisguised  bosom  of 
tranquil  nature,  and  whose  chief  employment  it  is, 
by  discncumbGring  her  of  waste  luxuriance,  to  dis- 
cover and  improve  her  latent  beauties,  need  no 
borrowed  entuusiusm  to  relish  the  sublime  and 
graceful  features.  The  venerable  simplicity  of 
the  sacred  scriptures,  has  something  extremely 
attractive  for  a  mind  in  this  state.  The  soul,  which 
is  the  most  familiar  with  its  Creator,  in  his  works, 
will  be  always  the  most  ready  to  recognise  him  in 
his  word.  Conversations,  which  had  for  their  sub- 
ject the  nature  and  virtues  of  plants,  the  extent 
and  boundaries  of  woods  and  lakes,  and  the  various 
operations  of  instinct  in  animals,  under  those  cir- 
cumstances where  they  are  solely  directed  by  it, 
and  the  distinct  customs  and  manners  of  various 
untutored  nations,  tended  to  expand  the  mind,  and 
teach  it  to  aspire  to  more  perfect  intelligence.  The 
untaught  reasoners  of  the  woods  could  not  but  ob- 
serve that  the  Europeans  knew  much  that  was  con- 
cealed from  them,  and  derived  many  benefits  and 
much  power  from  that  knowledge.  Where  they 
saw  active  virtue  keep  pace  with  superior  knowr 
ledge,  it  was  natural  to  conclude  that  persons  thus 


6S 


MEMOIRS  OF 


II  ill  V 


•v'm 


beneficially  enlightened,  had  clearer  and  ampler 
views  of  that  futurity,  which  to  them  only  dimly 
gleamed  through  formless  darkness.  They  would 
suppose,  too,  that  those  illuminated  beings  had 
some  means  of  approaching  nearer  to  that  source 
of  light  and  perfection  from  which  wisdom  is  de- 
rived, than  they  themselves  had  attained.  Their 
minds  being  thus  prepared  by  degrees,  these  pious 
matrons  (probably  assisted  by  those  lay-brothers  of 
whom  I  have  spoken')  began  to  diffuse  the  know- 
ledge of  the  distinguishing  doctrines  of  Christianity 
among  the  elderly  and  well-intentioned  Indian  wo- 
men. These  did  not  by  any  means  receive  the 
truth  without  examination :  the  acuteness  of  intel- 
lect which  discovered  itself  in  their  objections  (of 
which  I  have  heard  many  striking  instances)  was 
astonishing ;  yet  the  humble  and  successful  instru- 
ments of  ^enlightening  those  sincere  and  candid 
people,  did  by  no  means  take  to  themselves  any 
merit  in  making  proselytes.  When  they  found 
their  auditory  disposed  to  listen  diligently  to  the 
truth,  they  sent  them  to  the  clergymen  of  the  place, 
who  instructed,  confirmed,  and  baptized  them.  I 
am  sorry  that  I  have  not  a  clear  and  distinct  recol- 
lection of  the  exact  manner,  or  the  numbers,  8cc. 
of  these  first  converts,  of  whom  I  shall  say  more 
hereafter ;  but  I  know  that  this  was  the  usual  pro- 
cess. They  were,  however,  both  zealous  and  per- 
severing, and  proved  the  means  of  bringing  many 
others  under  the  law  of  love,  to  which  it  is  reason- 
able to  suppose  the  safety  of  this  unprotected  fron- 
tier ..was  greatly  owing  at  that  crisis,  that  of  the 
first  attacks  of  the  French.  The  Indian  women, 
who,  from  motives  of  attachment  to  particular 
families,  or  for  the  purpose  of  carrying  on  the 
small  traffic  already  mentioned,  were  wont  to  pass 
their  summers  near  the  settlers,  were  of  detached 
and  wandering  families,  who  preferred  this  mode 
of  living  to  the  labour  of  tilling  the  ground,  which 
entirely  devolved  upon  the  women  among  the  five 


AN  AMERICAN  LADY. 


^ 


nations.  By  tilling  the  ground  I  would  not  be  un- 
derstood to  mean  any  settled  mode  of  agriculture, 
requiring  cattle,  enclosures,  or  implements  of  hus- 
brandry.  Grain  made  but  a  very  subordinate  part  of 
their  subsistence,  which  was  chiefly  derived  from 
fishing  and  hunting.  The  little  they  had  was 
maize ;  this  v;ith  kidney  beans  and  tobacco,  the 
only  plants  they  cultivated,  was  sowed  in  some 
very  pleasant  fields  along  the  Mohawk  river,  by  the 
women,  who  had  no  implements  of  tillage  but  tlie 
hoe,  and  a  kind  of  wooden  spade.  These  fields  lay 
round  their  castles^  and  while  the  women  were  thus 
employed,  the  men  were  catching  and  drying 
lish  by  the  rivers  or  on  the  lakes.  The  younger 
girls  were  much  busied  durhig  summer  and  au- 
tumn, in  gathering  wild  fruits,  berries,  and  grapes, 
which  they  had  a  peculiar  mode  of  drying  to  pre- 
serve them  for  the  winter.  The  great  cranberry 
they  gathered  in  abundance,  which,  without  being 
dried,  would  last  the  whole  winter,  and  was  much 
used  by  the  settlers.  These  dried  fruits  were  no 
luxury ;  a*  fastidious  taste  would  entirely  reject 
them.  Yet,  besides  furnishing  another  article  of 
food,  they  had  their  use,  as  was  evident.  With- 
out some  antiseptic,  they  who  lived  the  whole  win- 
ter on  animal  food,  without  a  single  vegetable,  or 
any  thing  of  the  nature  of  bread,  unless  now  and 
then  a  little  maize,  which  they  had  the  art  of  boil- 
ing down  to  softness  in  ley  of  wood-ashes,  must 
have  been  liable  to  that  great  scourge  of  northern 
nations  in  their  primitive  state,  the  scurvy,  had 
not  this  simple  dessert  been  a  preservative  against 
it.  Rheumatisms,  and  sonietimes  agues  affected 
them,  but  no  symptom  of  any  cutaneous  disease 
was  ever  seen  on  an  Indian. 

The  stragglers  from  the  confines  of  the  orchards 
did  not  fail  to  join  their  tribes  in  winter ;  and  were 
ealous,  and  often  successful  in  spreading  theii* 
new  opinions.  Indians  supposed  that  every  couu- 
tty  had  its  own  mode  of  honouring  the  great  spirits 


1 


':L;.il 


mr"^ 


I  ill:  •11 


k   7 


yo 


MEMOIRS  OF   :- 


to  whotn  all  were  equally  acceptable.  This  had, 
on  one  hand,  the  bad  eifect  of  making  them  satiS" 
fied  with  their  own  vague  and  undefined  notions  ; 
and  on  the  other,  the  good  one  of  making  them 
very  tolerant  of  those  of  others.  If  you  do  not  in- 
sult their  belief,  (for  mode  of  worship  they  have 
scarce  any,)  they  will  hear  you  talk  of  yours  with  the 
greatest  patience  and  attention.  Their  good  breed- 
ing in  this  respect,  was  really  superlative.  No  Indian 
ever  interrupted  any,  the  most  idle  talker:  but 
when  they  concluded,  he  would  deliberately,  me- 
thodically, and  not  ungracefully  answer  or  com- 
ment upon  all  tliey  had  said,  in  a  manner  which 
showed  that  not  a  word  had  escaped  him. 
-  Lady  Mary  Montague  ludicrously  says,  that  the 
court  of  Vienna  was  the  paradise  of  old  women  j 
and  that  there  is  no  other  place  in  the  world  where 
a  woman  past  fifty  excites  the  least  interest.  Had 
her  travels  extended  to  the  interior  of  Nortli  Amer* 
ica,  she  M'ould  have  seen  another  instance  of  this 
inversion  of  the  common  mode  of  tliinking.  Here 
>  woman  never  was  of  consequence,  till  she  had  a 
son  old  enough  to  fight  the  battles  of  his  country : 
from  that  date  she  held  a  superior  rank  in  society  { 
was  allowed  to  live  at  ease,  and  even  called  to  con-* 
sultations  on  national  affairs.  In  savage  and  war- 
like countries,  the  reign  of- beauty  is  very  short, 
and  its  influence  comparatively  limited.  The  girls 
in  childhood  had  a  very  pleasing  appearance  ;  but 
excepting  their  fine  hair,  eyes  and  teeth,  every 
external  girace  was  soon  banished  by  perpetual 
drudgery,  carrying  burdens  too  heavy  to  be  borne, 
and  other  slavish  employments  considered  beneath 
the  dignity  of  the  men.  These  walked  before,  erect 
and  graceful,  decked  with  ornaments,  which  set 
off  to  advantage  the  symmetry  of  their  well  formed 
persons,  while  the  poor  women  followed,  meahly 
attired,  bent  under  the  weight  of  the  children  and 
utensils  they  carried  every  where  with  them ;  and 
disfigured  and  degraded  by  ceaseless  toils.    Thev 


AN  AMERICAN  LADV. 


n 


were  very  early  married ;  for  a  Mohawk  had  no 
other  servant  but  his  wife ;  and  whenever  he  com- 
menced hunter,  it  was  requisite  that  he  should 
have  some  one  to  carry  his  load,  cook  his  kettle, 
make  his  mognesans,  aiid  above  all,  produce  the 
young  warriors  who  were  to  succeed  him  in  the 
honours  of  the  chase,  and  of  the  tomahawk.-— 
Wherever  man  is  a  mere  hunter,  woman  is  a  mere 
slave.  It  is  domestic  intercourse  that  softens  man, 
and  elevates  woman  ;  and  of  that  there  can  be  little, 
where  the  employments  and  amusements  arc  not 
in  common :  the  ancient  Caledonians  honoured 
the  fair ;  but  then,  it  is  to  be  observed,  they  were 
fair  huntresses,  and  moved,  in  the  light  of  their 
beauty,  to  the  hill  of  roes ;  and  the  culinary  toils 
were  entirely  left  to  the  rougher  sex.  When  the 
young  warrior  above  alluded  to  made  his  appear- 
ance, it  softened  the  cares  of  his  mother;  who 
well  knew  that  when  he  grew  up,  every  deficiency 
in  tenderness  to  his  wife  would  be  made  up  in  su- 
perabundant duty  and  affection  to  her.  If  it  were 
possible  to  carry  filial  veneration  to  excess,  it  was 
done  here;  for  all  other  charities  were  absorbed 
in  it.  I  wonder  this  system  of  depressing  the  sex 
in  their  early  years  to  exalt  them  when  all  their 
juvenile  attractions  were  flown,  and  when  mind 
alone  can  distinguish  them,  has  not  occurred  to 
our  modern  reformers.  The  Mohawks  took  good 
care  not  to  admit  their  women  to  share  their  preroga- 
tives, till  they  approved  themselves  good  wives  and 
mothers. 

This  digression,  long  as  it  is,  has  a  very  inti^ 
mate  connexion  with  the  character  of  my  friend ; 
who  early  adopted  the  views  of  her  family,  in  re- 
gard to  those  friendly  Indians,  which  greatly  en- 
larged her  mind,  and  ever  after  influenced  her 
conduct.  She  was,  even  in  childhood,  well  ac- 
quainted with  their  language,  opinions,  and  cus- 
toms ;  and,  like  every  other  person,  possessed  of  a 
liberality  or  benevolence  of  mind,  whom  chance 


e;<*i 


K^tJfh, 


u 


[  m. 


7:  •:.    >■■ 


im'  I 


»i  * 


H 


MEMOIRS  OlP 


had  brought  acquainted  with  them,  was  exceed- 
ingly partial  to  those  high-souled  and  generous  na- 
tives. The  MohaAvk  language  was  early  familiar 
to  her :  she  spoke  Dutch  and  English  with  equal 
case  and  purity;  was  no  stranger  to  the  French 
tongue  ;  and  could  (I  think)  read  Germah.  I  have 
heard  her  speak  it.  From  the  conversations  which 
her  active,  curiosity  led  her  to  hold  with  native  Af- 
ricans brought  into  1  er  father's  family,  she  was 
more  intimately  acquainted  with  the  customs,  man- 
ners, and  government  of  their  native  country,  than 
she  could  have  been,  by  reading  all  that  was  ever 
written  on  the  subject.  Books  arc,  no  doubt,  the 
granaries  of  knowledge :  but  a  diligent,  inquiring 
mind,  in  the  active  morning  of  lite,  will  find  it 
strewed  like  manna  over  the  face  of  the  earth; 
and  nci-d  not,  in  all  cases,  rest  satisfied  with  in- 
telligence accuniulat(^d  by  others,  and  tinctured 
with  their  passions  and  prejudices.  Whoever 
reads  Homer  or  Shakspeare  may  daily  discover 
that  they  dcscril)c  both  nature  and  art  from  their 
own  observation.  Conseciuently  you  see  the  ima- 
j'jes,  reflected  from  the  mirror  of  their  great  minds, 
(iiffiM'iiMij  from  the  descriptions  of  others,  as  the 
reflection  of  an  object  in  all  its  colours  and  propor- 
tions from  any  polished  surface,  does  from  a  sha- 
dow on  a  Mali,  or  from  a  picture  drawn  from  recol- 
lection. The  enlarged  mind  of  my  friend,  and 
licr  simple  yet  easy  and  dignified  maimers,  made 
her  readily  adapt  herself  to  those  with  whom  she 
conversed,  and  every  where  command  respect  and 
kindness;  and,  on  a  nearer  acquaintance,  afl'ection 
Ibllowed  ;  but  she  had  too  much  sedateness  and 
independence  to  adopt  those  caressing  and  insinu- 
aling  manners,  by  which  the  vain  and  the  artful  so 
soon  find  their  way  into  shallow  minds.  Her  char- 
victer  did  not  captivate  at  once,  but  gradually  un- 
lolded  it:ielf ;  and  you  had  always  something  new 
lo  discover.  Her  style  was  grave  and  masculine, 
without  the  least  euibcUishmcnt ;  and  at  the  same 


AN  AMERICAN  LADV. 


fo 


time  90  pure,  that  every  thin^  she  said  might  be 
printed  without  correction,  and  so  plain,  that  the 
most  ignorant  and  most  inferior  persons  were  ne- 
ver at  a  loss  to  comprehend  it.  It  possessed,  too, 
a  wonderful  flexibility ;  it  seemed  to  rise  and  fall 
with  the  subject.  I  have  not  met  with  a  style 
which,  to  a  noble  and  uniform  simplicity,  united 
such  variety  of  expression.  Whoever  drinks 
knowledge  pure  at  its  sources,  solely  from  a  de- 
light in  filling  the  capacities  of  a  large  mind,  with- 
out the  desire  of  dazzling  or  out-shining  others; 
whoever  speaks  for  the  sole  purpose  of  conveying 
to  other  minds  those  ideas,  from  which  he  himself 
has  received  pleasure  and  advantage,  may  possess 
I  his  chaste  and  natural  stvle  :  but  it  is  not  to  be  oc- 
rinircd  l)y  art  or  study. 


CHAP.  XIV. 

« 

Maniagc  of  Miss  Scliuylcr. — Dcsciiption  of  the  I'iatS'. 


M 


.ISS  S.  had  the  happiness  to  captivate  her  cou- 
sin Philip,  eldest  son  of  her  uncle,  who  was  ten 
years  older  than  herself,  r.nd  was  /;/  all  resficcta  to 
l)e  accounted  a  suitable,  and  in  the  worldly  sense, 
an  ad\antageous  match  for  her.  His  father  was 
highly  satisfied  to  have  the  two  objects  on  whom 
ho  had  bestowed  so  much  care  and  culture  united, 
but  did  not  live  to  see  this  happy  connexion  take 
place.  They  were  married  in  the  year  1719,* 
uhen  she  was  in  the  eighteenth  year  of  her  age. 
When  the  old  colonel  dii-d,  he  left  considerable 
possv'ssions  to  be  divided  among  his  children,  and 
IVoni  the  (juantity  of  plate,  paintings,  8cc.   which 

*  Miss  Schuyler  was  horn  Iji  the  yoar  I'Ol 

H 


-  »    -»i:TJa**iiia»)feii*j..,,.„^.,, 


k>"i 


74 


M?oMOIHS  OF 


1  ■ ;. 


'.  ■( 


i:. 


ihey  shared,  there  is  reason  to  believe  he  must 
liave  brought  some  of  his  wealth  from  Holland,  as 
in  those  days  people  had  little  means  of  enriching 
ihcmsclvcs  in  new  settlements.     He  had  also  con- 
siderable possessions  in  a  place  near  the  town,  now 
(ailed  Fishkill,  about  twenty  miles  btlow  Albany, 
liis  family  residence,  however,  was  at  the  Flats,  a 
fertile  and  beautiful  plain  on  the  banks  of  the  river. 
He  possessed  about  two  miles  on  a  stretch  of  that 
licli   and   level   champain.     This  possession    was 
bounded  on  the  east  by  the  river  Hudson,  whose 
bii^-li  banks  overhung  the  stream  and  its  pebbly 
rstrand,  and  were  both  adorned  and  defended  by 
elms  (larger  than  ever  I  have   seen  in  any  other 
place,)  decked  with  natural  festoons  of  wild  grapes, 
>vhich  aboinid  along  the  banks  of  this  noble  stream. 
These  lofty  elms  were  left  when  the  country  was 
•  leurcd  to  fortify  the  banks  against  the  masses  of 
iliick  ice  which  make'Avar  upon  them   in  spring, 
v.hcn  the  nicking  snows  burst  this  glassy  pave- 
ment, and  raise   the  waters  many  feet  above  their 
usual  level.     This  precaution  not  only  answers  that 
purpose,  but  gratihes  the  mind   by  presenting  to 
the  eye  a  remnant  of  the  wild  magnificence  of  na- 
ture amidst  tht;,  smiling  scenes  produced  by  varied 
und  successful  cultivation.     As  you  came  along  by 
the  north  end  of  the  town,  where  the  Patroon  had 
his  scut,  you  afterwards  past  by  the  enclosures  of 
the   citizens,  whery,  as  formerly  described,   they 
planted  their  corn,  and  arrived  at  the  Fiats,  Col. 
Schuyler's  possession.     On  the  right'  you  saw  the 
ri\  er  in  all  its  beautv,  there  above  a  mile  broad. 
On  the  opposite  side  the  view  was  bounded  by  steep 
hills,  covered  with  iotly  pines,  from  which  a  water- 
fall descended,  wiiicli  not  only  gave  animation  to 
the  sylvah  scene,  l)ut  was  the  best  barometer  ima- 
ginable, foretelling  by  its  varied  and  hitelligible 
soUiids  every  i.ppiocicliing  change,  not  only  oi  the 
weatlur,  buioi  the  wind.     Opposite  to  the  grounds 
by  aj\  island,  above  a  mile  in  leni^tli,  and  about  i^ 


AN  AMERICAN  LADY. 


75 


quarter  in  breadth,  which  also  belonged  to  the 
Colonel:  exquisitely  beautiful  it  was,  and  though 
the  haunt  I  most  delighted  in,  it  is  not  in  my  pow- 
er to  describe  it.  Imagine  a  little  Egypt,  yearly 
overflowed,  and  of  the  most  redundant  fertility. 
This  charming  spot  was  at  first  covered  with  wood, 
like  the  rest  of  the  country,  except  a  long  field  in 
the  middle  where  the  Indians  had  probably  culti- 
vated maize  ;  round  this  was  a  broad  shelving  bor- 
der, where  the  grey  and  the  weeping  willows,  the 
bending  osier,  and  numberless  aquatic  plants  not 
known  in  this  country,  were  allowed  to  flourish  iii 
the  utmost  luxuriance,  while  within,,  some  tall  sy- 
camores and  wild  fruit  trees  towered  above  the 
rest.  Thus  was  formed  a  broad  belt,  which  in 
winter  proved  an  inipcnetrable  barrier  against  the 
broken  ice,  and  in  summer  v/as  the  haunt  of  num- 
berless birds  and  small  animals,  who  dwelt  in  per- 
fect safety,  it  being  impossible  to  penetrate  il. — 
Numberless  were  the  productions  of  this  luxuriant 
spot  ;  never  was  a  richer  field  for  a  botanist ;  for 
though  the  ice  was  kept  off",  the  turbid  valcrs  of 
the  spring  flood  overflowed  it  annually,  and  riot  on- 
ly deposited  a  rich  sediment,  but  left  the  seeds  of 
various  plants  swept  from  the  shores  it  h:'''  passed 
by.  Tiie  centre  of  the  island,  which  was  much 
higher  than  the  sides,  produced,  with  a  slij;ht  de- 
gree of  culture,  the  most  abundant  crops  of  wheat, 
hay,  and  flax.  At  the  end  of  tliis  island,  \vlilch 
was  exactly  opposite  to  the  family  mansioii,  u  long 
sand-bank  extended  ;  on  this  was  a  very  \  ahiable 
fishing-place,  of  which  a  considerable  profit  might 
be  made.  In  summer,  when  the  water  was  low, 
this  narrow  stripe  (for  such  it  wis)  came  in  sight, 
and  furnished  an  amusing  specfiicle  ;  for  there  the 
bald  or  white-headed  eagle  (a  large  picturesque 
bird,  very  frequent  in  this  countiy,)  the  ospray,  the 
heron,  and  the  curlew,  used  to  stand  in  great  num- 
bers in  a  long  row,  like  a  military  arrangement,  for 
a  whole  summer  day,  fishing  for  perch  aud  a  kind 


t^'S»^Vy>Mfitw«.'-.:^ 


76 


MEMOIRS  OF 


■■  ■  M 


f*  t 


C' -'" 


i  P«l: 


]■ 


of  frcsh-wjiter  herring  which  abounded  there,  A\ 
the  same  season  a  variety  of  wild  ducks,  who  bred 
on  the  shores  of  the  island,  (among  which  was  a 
small  white  diver  of  an  elegant  form,)  led  forth 
iheii  young  to  try  their  first  excursion.  What  a 
scene  have  I  beheld  on  a  calm  summer  evening  I 
There  indeed  were  "  fringed  banks"  richly  fring- 
ed, and  wonderfully  variegated  ;  where  every  ima- 
ginable shade  of  colour  mingled,  and  where  life 
teemed  prolific  on  every  side.  The  river,  a  per- 
fect mirror,  reflecting  the  pine-covered  hills  oppo- 
^>ilc ;  and  the  pliant  shades  that  bend  without  a 
uind,  round  this  enchanting  island,  while  hundreds 
of  the  white  divers,  saw-bill  ducks  with  scarlet 
licads,  leal,  and  other  aquatic  birds,  sported  at 
once  on  the  calm  waters.  At  the  discharge  of  a 
gun  from  the  shore,  these  feathered  beauties  all 
disappeared  at  once,  as  if  by  magic,  and  in  an  in- 
stant rose  to  view  in  different  pla*  es. 

How  much  they  seemed  to  enjoy  that  life  which 
was  so  new  to  them  ;  for  they  were  the  young  broods 
first  led  forth  to  sport  upon  the  waters.  While 
the  fixed  attitude  and  lofty  port  of  the  large  birda 
of  prey,  who  were  ranged  upon  the  sandy  shelf, 
formed  an  inverted  picture  in  the  same  clear  mir- 
ror, and  were  a  pleasing  contrast  to  the  playful 
multitude  around.  These  they  never  attempted 
to  disturb,  well  aware  of  the  facility  of  escape 
which  their  old  retreats  afforded  them.  Such  of 
my  readers  as  have  had  patience  to  follow  me  to 
this  favourite  isle,  will  be,  ere  now,  as  much  be- 
wilderedvas  I  hav^  often  been  myself  on  its  luxu- 
riant shores.  To  return  to  the  southward,  on  the 
confines  of  what  might  then  be  called  an  intermi- 
nable wild,  rose  two  gently  sloping  eminences, 
ubout  half  a  mile  from  the  shore.  From  each  of 
these  a  large  brook  descended,  bending  through 
the  plain,  and  having  their  course  marked  by  the 
shades  of  primaeval  trees  and  shrubs  left  there  to 
shelter  the  cattle  when  the  ground  was  clcaired 


AN  AMERICAN  LADY. 


77 


On  these  eminences,  in  the  near  neighbourhood 
and  full  view  of  the  mansion  at  the  Flats,  were  two 
large  and  well  built  dwellings,  inhabited  by  Colonel 
Schuyler's  two  younger  sons,  Peter  and  Jeremiah. 
To  the  eldest  was  alotted  the  place  inhabited  by 
his  father,  which,  from  its  lower  situation  and  level 
surface,  was  called  the  Flats.  There  was  a  custom 
prevalent  among  the  new  settlers  something  like 
that  of  gavelkind ;  they  made  a  pretty  equal  divi-. 
sion  of  lands  among  their  younger  sona.  The  eld- 
est, by  pre-eminence  of  birth,  had  a  larger  share, 
and  generally  succeeded  to  the  domain  inhabited 
by  his  father,  with  the  slaves,  cattle,  and  effects 
upon  it. 

This,  in  the  present  instance,  was  the  lot  of  the 
eldest  son  of  that  family  whose  possessions  I  have 
been  describing.  His  portion  of  land  on  the  shore 
of  the  river  was  scarcely  equal  in  value  to  those  of 
his  brother,  to  whose  possessions  the  brooks  I  have 
mentioned  formed  a  natural  boundary,  dividing 
them  from  each  other,  and  from  his.-  To  him  was 
alotted  the  costly  funiture  of  the  family,  of  which 
paintings,  plate,  and  china  constituted  the  valuable 
part;  everything  else  being  merely  plain  and  use- 
ful. They  had  also,  a  large  house  in  Albany,  which 
they  occupied  occasionally. 

I  have  neglected  to  describe  in  its  right  place 
the  termination  or  back  ground  of  the  landscape  I 
have  such  delight  in  recollecting.  There  the  so- 
lemn and  interminable  forest  was  varied  here  and 
there  by  rising  grounds,  near  streams  where  birch 
and  hiccory,  maple  and  poplar,  cheered  the  eye 
with  a  lighter  green,  through  the  prevailing  shade 
of  dusky  pines.  On  the;  border  of  the  wood, 
where  the  trees  had  been  thinned  for  firing,  v/as  a 
broad  shrubbeiy  all  along,  which  marked  the  edges 
of  the  wood  above  the  possessions  of  the  brothers 
as  far  as  it  extended. 

This  was  formed  of  shumac,  a  shi'ub  with 
leaves  continually  changing  colour  through  all  the 

H  i> 


I  r 


78 


MEMOIRS  Oi 


1'  isS 


varieties  from  blending  green  and  yellow  to  orange 
tawney,  and  adorned  with  large  lilac-shaped  clus- 
ters of  bright  scarlet  grains,  covered  with  pungent 
dust  of  a  sharp  flavour,  at  once  saline  and  acid.— 
This  the  Indians  used  as  salt  to  their  food,  and  for 
the  dyeing  of  diflFcrent  colours.  The  red  glow, 
which  was  the  general  result  of  this  natural  border, 
had  a  fine  effect,  thrown  out  from  the  dusky  shades 
which. towered  behind. 

f  To  the  northward,  a  sandy  tract,  covered  with 
low  pines,  formed  a  boundary  betwixt  the  Flats  and 
J^tonehook,  which  lay  further  up  the  river. 


t  t 


■I   -:    ' 


)  •! 


CHAP.  XV. 


r ' 


Charncter  of  Philip  Schxiyler.— His  management  of  the  Indians. 

Philip  SCHUYLER,  who  on  the  death  of  his 
lather,  succeeded  to  the  inheritance  I  have  been 
describing,  was  a  person  of  a  mild  benevolent  cha- 
racter, and  an  excellent  understanding,  which  had 
Teceived  more  culture  than  was  usual  in  that  coun- 
ti^.  But  whether  he  had  returned  to  Europe,  for 
the  purpose  of  acquiring  knowledge  in  the  public 
seminaries  there,  or  had  been  instructed  by  any  of 
the  French  protestanls,  who  were  sometimes  re- 
tained it)  U\e  principal  families  for  such  purposes, 
1  do  not  exactly  know ;  but  am  led  rather  to  sup- 
pose the  latter,  from  the  connection  which  always 
Kubsisted  between  that  class  of  people  and  the 
Schuyler  family. 

-..When  the  intimacy  between  this  gentleman  and 
tho  subject  of  these  memoirs  took  place  she  was  a 
mere  child ;  for  the  Colonel,  as  he  was  soon  after 
called,  was  ten  years  older  than  she.  This  was  sin- 
gular there,  where  most  men  married  under  twen- 


AN  AMERICAN  LABY. 


V9 


of  the  Indians. 


ty.  But  his  early  years  were  occupied  by  momen- 
tous concerns  ;  for,  by  this  time,  the.  public  safety 
began  to  be  endangered  by  the  insidious  wiles  of 
the  French  Canadians,  to  whom  our  frontier  settlers 
began  to  be  formidable  rivals  in  the  fur  trade,  which 
the  former  wished  to  engross.  In  process  of  time, 
the  Indians,  criminally  indulged  with  strong  liquors 
by  the  most  avaricious  and  unprincipled  of  the  tra- 
ders, began  to  have  an  insatiable  desire  for  them, 
and  the  traders'  avidity  for  gain  increased  in  the 
same  proportion. 

Occasional  fraud  on  the  one  hand  gave  rise  to  oc- 
casional violence  on  the  other.  Mutual  confidence 
decayed,  and  hostility  betrayed  itself,  when  intoxi- 
cation laid  open  every  thought.  Some  of  our  tra- 
ders were,  as  the  colonists  alleged,  treacherously 
killed  in  violation  of  treaties  solemnly  concluded 
between  them  and  the  offending  tribes.  ^  v  /'iii 

The  mediation  and  protection  of  the  Mohawk 
tribes  were  as  usual  appealed  to.  But  these  shrewd 
politicians  saw  evidently  the  value  of  their  pi*otec- 
tion  to  an  unwarlike  people,  who  made  no  effort  to 
defend  themselves ;  and  who,  distant  from  the 
source  of  authority,  and  contributing  nothing  to  the 
support  of  government,  were  in  a  great  measure 
neglected.  They  began  also  to  observe,  that  their 
new  friends  were  extending  their  possessions  on 
every  side,  and  conscious  of  their  wealth  and  in- 
creasing numbers,  did  not  assiduously  cultivate  the 
good  will  cf  their  faithful  allies  as  formerly.  These 
nations,  savage  as  we  may  imagine  them,  were  as 
well  -killed  in  the  arts  of  negociation  as  the  most 
polile  Europeans.  Thev  waged  perpetual  war 
with  each  other  about  their  hunting  grounds  ;  each 
tribe  laying  claim  to  some  vast  wild  territory  desti- 
ned for  that  purpose,  and  divided  from  other  dis- 
tricts by  boundaries  which  we  should  consider  as 
merely  ideal,  but  which  they  perfectly  understood. 
Yet  these  were  not  so  distinctly  defined  as  to  pre- 
clude all  dispute ;  and  a  casual  encroachment  on 


m 


86 


u   MRMOTRS  OF 


'1r  ^" 


i' 


H 


this  imap^inary  doer  park>  was  a  sufficient  pjround 
of  hostility ;  and  this,  not  for  the  value  of  the  few 
dcor  or  hears  which  niiglit  be  killed,  bat  thiit  they 
thouj^ht  their  national  honour  violated  by  such  an 
ag^)]^ression.  That  system  of  reveni^e,  which  sub- 
sisted with  equal  force  among  them  all,  admitted 
of  no  sincere  conciliation  till  the  ap;vf>*i*"ved  party 
had  obtained  at  least  an  equal  number  of  scalps  and 
prisoners  for  those  that  they  had  lost.  This  bloody 
reckoniiif^  was  not  easily  adjusted.  After  a  ^short 
and  hollow  mice,  the  remaining  balance  on  either 
side  aflbrded  a  pretext  for  new  hostility,  and  time 
to  solicit  new  alliances  ;  for  which  last  purpose 
much  art  and  much  persuasive  power  of  eloquence 
were  employed. 

s  But  the  grand  mystery  of  Indian  politics  was  the 
flattery,  the  stratagem,  and  address  employed  in 
detaching  other  tribes  from  the  alliance  of  their  en- 
emies. There  could  not  be  a  stronger  proof  of  the 
restless  and  turbulent  nature  of  ambition  than  these 
artful  negociations,  the  consequence  of  perpetual 
hostility,  where  one  would  think  there  was  so  little 
gix)und  for  quarrel ;  and  that  amongst  a  people  who 
individually,  were  by  no  means  quarrelsome  or  co- 
vetous, and  seemed  in  their  private  transactions 
with  each  other,  impressed  with  a  deep  sense  of 
moral  rectitude ;  who  reasoned  soundly,  reflected 
deeply,  and  acted  iu  most  cases  consequentially. — 
Property  there  was  none,  to  aflbrd  a  pretext  for 
war,  excepting  a  little  possessed  by  the  Mohawks, 
which  they  knew  so  well  how  to  defend)  that  their 
boundaries  were  never  violated  ;        •  ^        •■■  k    i 

**  For  tlieir  awp  ^ud  Uieir  fear  wus  upon  aU.ihe  nAtions  round 
about."  '      .  -  , 

Territory  could  not  be  the  genuine  subject  of  con- 
tention iu  these  thinly  peopled  forests,  where  the 
oceim  ami  the  pole  were  the  only  limits  of  their 
otlierwise  boundless  domain.  The  consequence 
attached  to  the   authority  of  chiefs^  who,  as  such. 


l^' 


AN  AMERICAN  LADY. 


8J. 


!  nations  round 


possessed  no  more  property  than  others,  and  had 
not  power  to  command  asinpjle  vassal  for  their  own 
personal  benefit,  was  not  sueh  as  to  be  the  object 
of  those  wars.  Their  chief  privilcj^e  was  that  of 
beinj^  fifst  in  every  danp;erous  enterprise.  They 
were  loved  and  honoured,  but  never,  that  I  have 
heard  of,  traduced,  envied,  or  removed  from  their 
painful  pre-eminence. 

The  only  way  in  which  these  wars  can  be  accoinit- 
ed  for,  is,  first,  from  the  t;eneral  depravity  of  our 
nature,  and  from  a  singularly  deep  feelinpf  of  inju- 
ry, and  a  high  sense  of  national  honour.  They 
ucre  not  the  hasty  outbreakings  of  savage  fury,  but 
were  commenced  hi  the  most  solemn  and  deliber- 
ate manner;  and  not  without  a  prelude  of  remon- 
strances, from  the  aggrieved  party,  and  attempts  to 
sootli  and  conciliate  from  the  other.  This  digres- 
sion must  not  be  considered  as  altogether  from  tlie 
purpose.  To  return  to  the  Indians,  whose  history 
has  its  T?se  in  illustrating  that  of  mankind:  they 
now  became  fully  sensible  of  the  importance  they 
derived  from  the  increased  wealtli  and  undefended 
state  of  the  settlement.  They  discovered  too,  that 
they  held  the  balance  between  the  interior  settle- 
ments of  France  and  England,  which,  though  still 
distant  from  each  other,  were  daily  approximat- 
ing. 

The  Mohawks,  though  always  brave  and  always 
iuithful,  felt  a  very  allowable  repugnance  to  expose 
the  lives  of  their  warriors  in  defence  of  those  who 
made  no  efibrt  to  defend  themselves ;  who  were 
neither  protected  by  the  arms  of  their  sovereign, 
nor  by  their  own  courage.  They  came  down  to 
hold  a  solemn  congress,  at  which  the  heads  of  the 
Schuyler  and  Cuyler  families  assisted;  and  where 
it  was  agreed  that  hostilities  should  be  delayed  for 
the  present,  the  hostile  nations  pacified  by  conces- 
sions and  presents,  and  means  adopted  to  put  the 
settlement  in  a  state  of  defence  sigainst  future  ag- 
gressions. 


[I 


IM  Hi'...  .0 


':  I  i  ' 


fm'y\ 


:';t    I':-' 


I  ill' 


»2 


MEMOIRS  OF 


On  all  such  occasions,  when  previously  satisfied 
with  rep^ard  to  the  justice  of  the  grounds  of  quarrel, 
the  Mohawks  promised  their  hearty  co-operation. 
This  they  were  the  readier  to  do,  as  their  young 
brother  Philip  (for  so  they  styled  Colonel  Schuy- 
ler) offered  not  only  to  head  such  troops  as  might 
be  raised  for  this  purpose,  but. to  engage  his  two 
brothers,  who  were  well  acquainted  with  the  whole 
frontier  territory,  to  serve  on  the  same  terms.— 
This  was  a  singular  instance  of  public  spirit  in  a 
young  patriot,  who  was  an  entire  stranger  to  the 
profession  of  arms ;  and  whose  sedate  equanimity 
of  character  was  adverse  to  every  species  of  rash- 
ness or  enthusiasm.  Meantime  the  provisions  of 
the  abovementioned  treaty  coulfl  not  be  carried 
into  effect,  till  they  were  ratified  by  the  assembly 
at  New-YoS-k,  and  approved  by  the  governor.  Of 
this  there  was  little  doubt ;  the  difficulty  was  to 
raise  and  pay  the  troops.  In  the  interim,  while 
steps  were  taking  to  legalize  the  project,  in  1719, 
the  marriage  betwixt  Colone?  Schuyler  and  hii? 
rousin  took  place  under  the  happiest  auspices. 


CHAP.  XVI. 
Account  of  the  three  bvothcBS. 

Colonel  SCHUYLER  and  his  two  brothers 
all  possessed  a  superior  degree  of  intellect,  and  un- 
common external  advantages.  Peter,  the  only  one 
remaining  when  I  knew  tho  family,  was  still  a 
comely  and  dignified  looking  old  gentleman ;  and 
I  was  told  his  brothers  were  at  least  equal  to  him  in 
this  respect.  His  youngest  brother  Jeremiah,  who 
was  much  beloved  for  a  disposition,  frank,  cheerful 
and  generous  to  excess,  had  previously  married  a 


'^ymi 


AN  AMERICAN  LADY. 


lady  from  New-York ;  with  whom  he  obtained  some 
foi'tune  :  a  thing  then  singular  m  that  country. — 
Jiiis  lady,  whom,  in  her  declining  years,  I  knew 
very  well,  wus  the  daughter  of  a  wealthy  and  distin- 
fjuished .  family  of  French  protestants.  She  was 
lively,  sensible,  and  well  informed. 

Peter,  the  second,  was  married  to  a  native  of  Al- 
bany. She  died  early ;  but  left  behind  two  chil- 
dren ;  and  the  reputation  of  much  worth  and  great 
attention  to  her  conjugal  and  maternal  duties.  All 
these  relations  lived  with  each  other,  and  with  the 
new  married  lady,  in  habits  of  the  most  cordial  in- 
timacy and  perfect  confidences.  They  se£med,  in- 
deed, actuated  by  one  sp^.-it ;  having  in  all  things 
similar  views  and  similar  principles.  Looking  up 
to  the  colonel  as  the  hcud  of  the  family,  whose  worth 
and  affluence  reflected  consequence  upon  them  all, 
they  never  dreamt  of  envying  either  his  superior 
manners,  or  his  wife's  attainments,  which  they 
looked  upon  as  a  benefit  and  ornament  to  the 
whole. 

Soon  after  their  marriage  they  visited  New-York, 
which  they  continued  to  do  once  a  year  in  the  earli- 
er period  of  their  marriage,  on  account  of  their 
ronnection  in  that  city,  and  the  pleasing  and  intel- 
ligent society  that  was  always  to  be  met  with  there, 
both  on  account  of  its  being  the  seat  of  govern- 
ment, and  the  residence  of  the  commander  in  chief 
on  the  continent,  who  was  then  necessarily  inves- 
ted with  considerable  power  and  privileges,  and 
had,  as  well  us  the  governor  for  the  time  being,  a 
petty  court  assembled  round  him.  At  a  very  early 
period  abetter  style  of  munners,  greater  ease,  frank- 
ness, and  polish  prevailed  at  New-York,  than  in  any 
of  the  nei,^hboui'iiig  provinces.  There  was,  in  par- 
ticular, a  brigadier  general  Hunter,  of  whom  I  have 
heard  Mrs.  Schuyler  talk  a  great  deal,  as  coincid- 
ing with  her  uncle  and  husband  successively,  in 
their  plans  either  of  defence  or  improvement.  He, 
I  tliink,  was  tiicn  governor ;  and  v>  as  as  acceptable 


^> 


At 


<^^^\^> 

Q      .^^^0.%^ 


IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-S) 


1.0 


I.I 


l^|2£    12.5 


i;£ 


2.0 


1.25      1.4      1.6 

^— 

6"     

► 

Photographic 

Sciences 

Corporation 


33  WIST  MAIN  STRUT 

WHSTIR.N.Y.  MSM 

(716)173-4503 


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4 


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p 


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i 


84 


MEMOIRS  OF 


to  the  Schnylers  for  his  colloquial  talents  and  friend- 
ly disposition.,  .»s  estimable  for  his  public  spirit  and 
application  to  buyin(  ss,  in  which  respects  he  was 
not  equalled' by  any  of  his  successors.  In  his  cir- 
cle the  young  couple  were  much  distinguished.— 
There  were  too  among  those  leading  families,  the 
Livingstons  and  R'^iselaers,  friends  connected  with 
them  both  by  blood  and  attachment.  There  was 
also  another  distinguished  family  to  whom  they 
were  allied,  and  with  whom  they  lived  in  cordial 
intimacy ;  these  were  the  De  Lanceys,  of  French 
descent,  but,  by  subsequent  intermarriages,  blend- 
ed with  the  Dutch  inhabitants.  Of  these  there 
were  very  many  then  in  New-York,  as  will  be 
hereafter  explained;  but  as  these  conscientious 
exiles  were  persons  allied  in  religion  to  the  primi- 
tive settlei^,  and  regular  and  industrious  in  their 
liab its,  they  soon  mingled  with  and  became  a  part 
of  that  society,  which  was  enlivenedby  their  spright- 
ly manners,  and  benefited  by  the  useful  arts  they 
brought  along  with  them.  In  this  mixed  society, 
which  must  have  had  attraction  for  young  people  of 
superior,  and,  in  some  degree,  cultivated  intellect, 
this  well-matched  pair  took  great  pleasure ;  and 
here,  no  doubt,  was  improved  that  liberality  of  mind 
and  manners  which  so  much  distinguished  them 
from  the  less  enlightened  inhabitants  of  their  native 
city.  They  were  so  much  caressed  in  New-York, 
and  found  so  many  charms  in  the  intelligent  and 
comparatively  polished  society  of  which  they  made 
a  part  there,  that  they  had  at  first  some  thoughts  of 
residing  there.  These,  however,  soon  guve  way  to 
the  persuasions  of  the  old  colonel,  with  whom  they 
principally  resided  till  his  death,  which  happened 
1 72 1,  two  years  after.  This  union  was  productive 
of  all  that  felicity  which  might  be  expected  to  re- 
sult from  entire  congeniality  not  of  sentiment  only, 
but  of  original  dispositions,  attachments,  and  modes 
of  living  and  thinking.  He  had  been  accustomed 
to  consider  her  as  a  child  with  tender  endearment. 


AN  AMERICAN  LADY. 


&5 


She  had  been  used  to  look  up  to  him  from  infancy 
as  the  model  of  manly  excellence;  and  they  drew 
knowledge  and  virtue  from  the  same  fountain,  in 
the  mind  of  thdt  respectable  parent  whom  they 
equally  loved  and  revered. 


■•#-». 

'"     .     »  ' 

,0    . 

V     ■ 

1  ■       ■* 

CHAP. 

XVII. 

V 

<* 

;*. 

■-■    ■    ' 

Tlie  House  and  rural  Economy  of  the  Flats.— Birds  and  Io&c«iv 

I  HAVE  already  sketched  a  general  outline  of  that 
pleasant  home  to  which  the  colonel  was  now  about 
to  bring  his  beloved.  •   .        \ 

Before  I  resume  my  narrative,  I  shall  indulge 
myself  in  a  still  more  minute  account  of  the  pre- 
mises, the  mode  of  living,  &c.  which  will  afford  a 
more  distinct  idea  of  the  country ;  all  the  weilthy 
and  informed  people  of  the  settlement  living  on  a 
smaller  scale,  pretty  much  in  the  same  manner. 
Be  it  known,  however,  that  the  house  I  had  so 
much  delight  in  recollecting,  had  no  pretension  to 
grandeur,  and  very  little  to  elegance.  It  was  a 
large  brick  house  of  two  or  rather  three  stories 
(for  there  were  excellent  attics,)  besides  a  sunk 
story,  finished  with  the  exactest  neatness.  The 
lower  floor  had  two  spacious  rooms,  with  large 
light  closets;  on  the  first  there  were  three  rooms, 
and  in  the  upper  one  four.  Through  the  middle  of 
the  house  was  a  very  wide  passage,  with  opposite 
front  and  back  doors,  whicli  in  summer  admitted  a 
stream  jf  air  peculiarly  grateful  to  the  languid 
senses.  It  was  furnished  with  chairs  and  pictures 
like  a  summer  parlour.  Here  the  family  usually 
sut  in  hot  weather,  when  there  were  no  cercmoni'- 
«us  strangers.  ' 


^Jd*^--.*-;- 


^:i       '1: 


' 


^6 


^lEMOtRS  OF 


Valuable  furniture  (though  perhaps  not  very  well 
clioscn  or  assorted)  was  the  favourite  luxury  of 
these  people;  and  in  all  the  houses  I  remember, 
except  those  of  the  brothers,  who  were  eveiy  way 
more  liberal,  the  mirrors,  the  p£untings,  the  chi- 
na, but  above  all,  the  state  bed,  were  considered 
as  the  family  Zeraphim,  secretly  worshipped,  and 
only  exhibited  on  very  rtre  occasions.  But  in  Col. 
8chuyler*8  family  the  rooms  were  merely  shut  up 
to  keep  the  flies,  which  in  that  country  are  an  ab- 
solute nuisance,  from  spoiling  the  furniture.  Ano- 
ther motive  was,  that  they  might  be  pleasairtly 
cool  when  opened  for  company.  This  house  had 
also  two  appendages  common  to  all  those  belong- 
•  ing  to  persons  in  easy  circumstances  there.  One 
was  a  large  portico  at  the  door,  with  a  few  steps 
leading  up  to  it,  and  floored  like  a  room  ;  it  was 
open  at  the  sides,  and  had  seats  all  round.  Above 
uas  either  a  slight  wooden  roof,  painted  like  an 
uwning,  cr  a  covering  of  lattice-work,  over  which 
u  transplanted  vine  spread  its  luxuriant  leaves. 
i.nd  numerous  clusters.  These,  though  small,  and 
rather  too  acid  till  sweetened  by  the  frost,  had  a 
beautiful  appearance.  What  gave  an  air  of  liber- 
ty and  safety  to  these  rustic  porticoes,  which  always 
produced  in  my  mind  a  sensation  of  pleasure  that 
I  know  not  how  to  define,  was  the  number  of  little 
birds  domesticated  there.  For  their  accommoda- 
tion there  was  a  small  sheif  built  round,  where 
they  nestled,  sucrcd  from  the  touch  of  slaves  and 
children,  who  were  taught  to  regard  them  as  the 
good  genii  of  the  place,  not  to  be  disturbed  with 
in\punity. 

1  do  not  recollect  sparrows  there,  except  the 
VCod-spurrow.  These  littie  birds  were  of  various 
kinds  peculiar  to  the  country ;  but  the  one  most 
fie(|ULht  aud  fainiliur  was  a  pretty  little  creature, 
of  a  bright  cinntanon  colour,  cuilcd  a  wren,  thougii 
little  resenibliiig  the  one  to  which  we  give  that 
name,  for  it  is   more   sprightly,  aud  flies  higher. 


AN  AMERICAN  LADY. 


8.r 


Of  these  and  other  small  birds,  hundreds  gave  and 
received  protection  around  this  hospitable  dwel- 
ling. The  protection  they  received  consisted 
merely  in  the  privilege  of  being  let  alone.  That 
which  they  bestowed  was  of  more  importance  than 
any  inhabitant  of  Britain  can  imagine.  In  these 
new  countries,  where  man  has  scarce  asserted  his 
dominion,  life  swarms  abundant  on  evciy  side ;  the 
insect  population  is  numerous  beyond  belief,  and 
the  birds  that  feed  on  them  are  in  proportion  to 
their  abundance.  In  process  of  time,  when  their 
sheltering  woods  are  cleared,  all  these  recede  be- 
fore their  master,  but  not  before  his  empire  is  ful- 
ly established.  These  minute  aerial  foes  are  more 
harassing  than  the  terrible  inhabitants  of  the  forest, 
and  more  difficult  to  expel.  It  is  only  by  protect- 
ing, and  in  some  sort  domesticating,  these  little 
winged  allies,  who  attack  them  in  their  own  ele- 
ment, that  the  conqueror  of  the  lion  and  tamer  of 
the  elephant  can  hope  to  sleep  in  peace,  or  eat  his 
meals  unpolluted.  While  breakfasting  or  drinking 
tea  in  the  airy  portico,  which  was  often  the  scene 
of  these  meals,  birds  were  constantly  gliding  over 
the  table  with  a  butterfly,  grasshopper,  or  cicada 
in  their  bills  to  feed  their  young,  who  were  chirp- 
ing above.  These  familiar  inmates  brushed  by 
without  ceremony,  while  the  chimney  swallow,  the 
martin,  and  other  hirundines  in  countless  numbers 
darted  past  in  pursuit  of  this  aerial  population, 
while  the  fields  resounded  with  the  ceaseless  chirp- 
ing of  many  gay  insects  unknown  to  our  mor^ 
temperate  summers.  These  were  now  and  then 
mingled  with  the  animated  and  not  unpleasing  cry 
of  the  tree-frog,  a  creature  of  that  species,  but  of 
a  light  slender  form,  almost  transparent,  and  of  a 
lively  green  ;  it  is  dry  to  the  touch,  and  has  not  the 
dank  moisture  of  its  aquatic  relations ;  in  short  it  is 
a  pretty  lively  creature,  with  a  singular  and  cheer- 
ful note.  This  loud  and  not  unpleasing  insect 
chgruS)  with  the  ftwarms  of  gay  butterflies  in  con- 


I 


i. 


\ 


u 


)\ 


5* 


*'(; 


I 


^8 


MEMOmS  OP^ 


jBtant  TnoticT^,  enliven  scenes  to  which  the  pre\:a1i 
lence  of  woods,  rising  "  shade  above  shade"  on 
every  side,  would  otherwise  give  a  still  and  solemn 
aspect.  Several  objects,  which  with  us  are  no 
tmiall  additions  to  the  softened  changes  and  endless 
charms  of  rural  scenery,  it  must  be  confessed  are 
wanting  there.  No  lurk  welcomes  the  sun  that 
rises  to  gild  the  dark  forests  and  gleaming  lakes  of 
America ;  no  mellow  thrush  or  deep-toned  black- 
bird warbles  through  these  awful  solitudes,  or  sof- 
tens the  balmy  hour  of  twilight  with 


•t^ 


•*  The  liquid  language  of  the  ffrovea^ 


Twilight  itself,  the  mild  and  shadowy  hour,  so 
>siDothing'  to  every  feeling,  every  pensive  mind; 
that  soft  tntnsition  from  day  to  night,  so  dear  to 
peace,  so  due  to  meditation,  is  here  scarce  known, 
;it  least  only  known  to  have  its  shortness  regretted. 
No  daisy  hastens  to  meet  the  spring,  or  embellishes 
the  meads  in  summer :  here  no  purple  heath  ex- 
hales its  wholesome  odour,  or  decks  the  arid  waste 
with  the  chastened  glow  of  its  waving  bells.  No 
donny  broom,  such  as  enlivens  the  narrow  vales  of 
Scotland  with  its  gaudy  bloom,  nor  flowering  furze 
with  its  golden  blossoms,  defying  the  cold  blasts 
of  early  spring,  animate  their  sandy  wilds.  There 
the  white-blossomed  sloe  does  not  forerun  the  or- 
chard's bloom,  nor  the  pale  primrose  shelter  its 
jnodest  head  beneath  the  tangled  shrubs.  Nature} 
bountiful  yet  not  profuse,  has  assigned  her  various 
gifts  to  various  climes,  in  such  a  manner  that  none 
can  claim  a  decided  pre-eminence;  and  every 
country  has  peculiar  charms,  which  endear  it  to 
the  natives  beyond  any  other.  I  have  been  tempted 
by  lively  recollections  into  a  digression  rather  un- 
warrantable.    To  return : — 

At  the  back  of  the  large  house  was  a  smaller 
and  lower  one,  so  joined  to  it  as  to  make  the  form 
of  a  cross.  There  one  or  two  lower  and  smaller 
rooms  below,  and  the  same  number  above,  afford- 


AN  AMERICAN  LADY. 


89 


td  a  refuge  to  the  family  during  the  rigours  of 
winter,  when  the  spacious  summer  rooms  would 
have  been  intolerably  cold,  and  the  smoke  of  pro- 
digious  wood  fires  would  have  sullied  the  elegantly 
clean  furniture.  Here,  too,  was  a  sunk  story, 
where  the  kitchen  was  immediately  below  the  eat- 
ing parlour,  and  increased  the  general  warmth  of 
the  house.  In  summer  the  negroes  resided  in  slight 
outer  kitchens,  where  food  was  drest  for  the  fami- 
ly. Those  who  wrought  in  the  fields,  often  had 
their  simple  dinner  cooked  without,  and  ate  it  un- 
der the  shade  of  a  great  tree.  One  room  I  should 
have  said,  in  the  greater  house  only,  was  opened 
for  the  reception  of  company ;  all  the  rest  were 
bed-chambers  for  their  accommodation,  while  the 
domestic  friends  of  the  family  occupied  neat  little 
bed-rooms  in  the  attics,  or  in  the  winter  house. 
This  house  contained  no  drawing-room;  that  was 
an  unheard-of  luxury :  the  winter  rooms  had  car- 
pets ;  the  lobby  had  oil-cloth  painted  in  lozenges, 
to  imitate  blue  and  white  marble.  The  best  bed- 
room was  hung  with  family  portraits,  some  of  which 
were  admirably  executed ;  and  in  the  eaUng-room, 
which,  by  the  bye,  was  rarely  used  for  that  pur- 
pose, were  some  fine  scripture  paintings;  that 
which  made  the  greatest  impression  on  my  imagi- 
nation, and  seemed  to  be  universally  admired,  wa# 
one  of  Esau  coming  to  demand  the  anticipated 
blessing ;  the  noble  manly  figure  of  the  luckless 
hunter,  and  the  anguish  expressed  in  his  comely 
though  strong-featured  countenance,  I  shall  never 
forget.  The  house  fronted  the  river,  on  the  brink 
of  which,  under  shades  of  elm  and  sycamore,  ran 
the  great  road  towards  Saratoga,  Stillwater,  and 
the  northern  lakes ;  a  little  simple  avenue  of  mo- 
rella  cherry  trees,  enclosed  with  a  white  rail,  led 
to  the  road  and  river,  not  three  hundred  yards  dis- 
tant. Adjoining  to  this,  on  the  south  side,  was  an 
enclosure,  subdivided  into  three  parts,  of  which  the 
first  was  a  small  bay  field,  opposite  the  south  end 

13 


u 


n 


M 


9» 


MEMOIRS  OF 


> 


i. 


k 


of  the  house ;  the  next,  not  so  long)  «^  ?^<lcn ;  and 
the  thiixl,  by  far  the  largest,  an  orchard.  These 
were  surrounded  by  simple  deal  fences.  Now  let 
not  the  genius  that  presides  over  pleasure-grounds, 
nor  any  of  his  elegant  votaries,  revolt  with  disgust 
while  I  mention  the  unseemly  ornaments  which 
were  exhibited  on  the  stakes  to  which  the  deals  of 
these  same  fences  were  bound.  Truly  they  con- 
bisted  of  the  skeleton  heads  of  horses  and  cattle  in. 
as  great  numbers  as  could  be  procured,  stuck  upon 
the  abovesaid  poles.  This  was  not  mere  ornament 
either,  but  a  most  hospitable  arrangement  for  the 
accommodation  of  the  small  familiar  birds  before 
described.  Tlie  jaws  are  fixed  on  the  pole,  and 
the  skull  uppermost.  The  wren,  on  seeing  a  skull 
thus  placed,  never  fails  to  enter  by  the  orifice, 
wl  ich  is  too  small  to  admit  the  hand  of  an  infant) 
lines  the  pericranium  with  small  twigs  and  horse- 
hair, and  there  lays  her  eggs  in  full  security.  It 
is  very  amusing  to  see  the  little  creature  carelessly 
go  out  and  in  at  this  little  aperture,  though  you 
should  be  standing  immediately  beside  it.  Not 
satisfied  with  providing  these  singular  asylums  for 
their  feathered  friends,  the  negroes  never  fail  to 
make  a  small  round  hole  in  the  crown  of  every  old 
hat  they  can  lay  their  hands  on,  and  nail  it  to  the 
end  of  the  kitchen,  for  the  same  purpose.  You 
often  see  in  such  a  one,  at  once,  thirty  or  forty  of 
these  odd  little  domicils,  with  the  inhabitants  busi- 
ly going  out  and  in. 

Besides  all  these  salutary  provisions  for  the  do- 
mestic comfort  of  the  birds,  there  was,  in  clearing 
the  way  for  their  first  establishment,  a  tree  always 
left  in  the  middle  of  the  back  yard,  for  their  sole 
emolument:  this  tree  being  purposely  pollarded 
at  midsummer,  when  all  the  branches  were  full  of 
sap.  Wherever  there  had  been  a  branch  the  de- 
cay of  ihe  inside  produced  a  hole  ;  and  every  hole 
was  the  habitation  of  a  bird.  These  were  of  vari- 
ous kinds  ',  some  of  which  had  a  pleasing  note,  but^ 


AN  AMERICAN  LADY. 


«fi 


on  the  whole,  their  songsters  are  far  inferior  t» 
ours.  I  rather  dwell  on  these  minutia,  as  they 
not  011I7  mark  the  peculiarities  of  the  country,  but 
convey  very  truly  the  image  of  a  people  not  too  re- 
fined for  happiness,  which,  in  the  process  of  ele* 
gant  luxury,  is  apt  to  die  of  disgust.  ;. . 

'■  ■♦  ■    •  '■      J     "       ' 

^.     '    ■•     "••     CHAP,  xviii:    '  -^r^w.^  .;  ;.,  n 


Description  of  Colonel  Schuyler's  Barn,  the  Common,  and  its 

Tarioos  uses. 

A.D JOINING  to  the  orchard  was  the  most  spa- 
cious bam  I  ever  beheld ;  which  I  shall  describe  for 
the  benefit  of  such  of  my  readers  as  have  neverseen 
a  building  constructed  on  apian  so  comprehensive. 
This  bam,  which,  as  will  hereafter  appear,  answer- 
ed many  beneficial  purposes  besides  those  usually 
allotted  for  such  edifices,  was  of  a  vast  size,  at  least 
an  hundred  feet  long,  and  sixty  wide.  The  roof 
rose  to  a  very  great  height  in  the  midst,  and  sloped 
down  till  it  came  within  ten  feet  of  the  ground, 
when  the  walls  commenced ;  which,  like  the  whole 
of  this  fabric  was  formed  of  wood.  It  was  raised 
three  feet  from  the  ground,  by  beams  resting  on 
stone  ;  and  on  these  beams  were  laid  in  the  middle 
of  the  building  a  very  massive  oak  floor.  Before 
the  door  was  a  large  sill,  sloping  downwards,  of  the 
same  materials.  About  twelve  feet  in  breadth  on 
each  side  of  this  capacious  building  were  divided 
off  for  cattle :  on  one  side  ran  a  manger,  at  the 
above  mentioned  distance  from  the  wall,  the  whole 
leny;th  of  the  building,  with  a  rack  above  it ;  on  the 
others  were  stalls  for  the  other  cattle,  ininning  also 
the  whole  length  of  the  building.  The  cattle  and 
horses  stood  with  their  hinder  parts  to  the  walH 


/ 


%^ 


M 


MEMOIRS  OF     M. 


and  their  heads  projecting  towards  tlie  threshini^ 
floor.  There  was  a  prodigious  large  box ,  or  open 
chest  in  one  side  built  up^  for  holding  the  corn  after 
it  was  thrashed ;  and  the  roof,  which  was  very  lofty 
and  spti.cious,  was  supported  by  large  cross  beams  r 
from  one  to  the  other  of  these  was  stretched  a  great 
number  of  long  poles,  so  as  to  form  a  sort  of  open 
loft,  on  which  the  whole  rich  crop  was  laid  up.— 

*  The  floor  of  those  parts  of  the  barn,  which  answer- 
ed the  purposes  of  a  stable  and  cow-house,  was 
made  of  thick  slab  deals,  laid  loosely  over  the  sup- 
porting beams.     And  the  mode  of  cleaning  those 

,  places  was  by  turning  the  boards,  and  permitting 
the  dung  and  litter  to  fall  into  the  receptacles  left 

'  open  below  for  the  purpose  ;  from  thence,  in  spring 
they  were  often  driven  down  the  river,  the  soil 
in  its  original  state  not  requiring  the  aid  of  ma- 
nure. In  the  front*  of  this  vast  edifice  there  were 
prodigious  folding  doors,  and  two  otliers  that  open- 
ed behind.  ^  j;?  ,.  K  [:$Wi-.,  iMmC^ 
Certainly  never  did  cheerful  rural  toils  wear  a 
more  exhilarating  aspect  than  while  the  domestics 
wer^  lodging  the  luxuriant  harvest  in  this  capa- 
cious repository.    When  speaking  of  the  doors,  I 

*  should  have  mentioned  that  they  were  made  in  the 
gable  ends ;  those  in  the  back  equally  large,  to  cor- 
respond with  those  in  the  front ;  while  on  each  side 
t>f  the  great  doons  were  smaller  ones,  for  the  cattle 
and  horses  to  enter.  Whenever  the  corn  or  hay 
was  reaped  or  cut,  and  ready  for  carrying  home, 
which  in  that  dry  and  warm  climate  happened  in  a 
very  few  days,  a  waggon  loaded  with  hay,  for  in- 
stance, was  driven  into  the  midst  of  this  great  barn, 
loaded  also  with  numberless  large  grasshoppers, 
butterflies,  and  cicadas,  who  came  along  with  the 
hay.  From  the  top  of  the  waggon,  this  was  imme- 
diately forked  up  into  the  loft  of  the  bam,  in  the 


Vh 


;«*»>■ 


■i- 


:  .»**%- 


*  By  the  front  is  m««ht  the  gable  end,  vlktch  contains  (he  en- 
trance. 


AN  AMERICAN  LADY. 


H. 


itains  (he  «ii- 


miclst  of  which  was  an  open  space  left  for  the  pur- 
pose ;  and  then  the  unloaded  waggon  drove,  in  rus- 
tic state,  out  of  the  great  door  at  the  other  end.  In 
the  mean  time  every  member  of  the  family  witnes- 
sed, or  assisted  in  this  summary  process ;  by  which 
the  buildings-  and  thatching  of  stacks  was  at  once 
saved ;  and  the  whole  crop  And  cattle  were  thus 
compendiously  lodged  under  one  roof. 

The  cheerfulness  of  this  animated  scene  was 
much  heightened  by  the  quick  appearance,  and 
vanishing  of  the  swallows  ;  who.  twittered  among 
their  high-built  dwellings  in  the  roof.  Here,  as  in 
cveiy  other  instance,  the  safety  of  these  domestic 
friends  was  attended  to  ;  and  an  al^ode  provided  for 
them./  In  the'front  of  this  barn  were  many  holes, 
like  those  of  a  pigeon-house,  for  the  accommoda- 
tion of  the  martin :  that  being  the  species  to  which 
this  kind  of  home  seems  most  congenial ;  and,  in 
the  inside  of  the  barn,  I  have  counted  above  four- 
score at  once.  In  the  winter,  when  the  earth  was 
buried  deep  in  new  fallen  snow,  and  no  path  fit  for 
walking  in  was  left,  this  bam  was  like  a  great  gal- 
lery, well  suited  for  that  purpose ;  and  furnished 
Avith  pictures,  not  unpleasing  to  a  simple  and  con- 
tented mind.  As  you  walked  through  this  long 
area,  looking  up,  you  behold  the  abundance  of  the 
year  treasured  above  you  ;  on  one  side  the  comely 
heads  of  your  snoiting  steeds  presented  themselves 
arranged  in  seemly  order ;  on  the  other,  your  kine 
displayed  their  meekfer  visages,  t/hile  the  perspec- 
tive on  either,  was  terminated  by  heifers  and  fillies" 
no  less  interesting.  In  the  midst,  your  servants 
exercised  the  flail ;  and  even,  while  they  threshed 
out  the  straw,  distributed  it  to  the  expectants  on 
both  sides ;  while  the  "  liberal  handful"  was  occa- 
sionally thrown  to  the  many-coloured  poultry  on  the 
hill.  Winter  itself  never  made  this  abode  of  life 
and  plenty  cold  or  cheerless.  Here  you  might 
walk  and  view  all  your  subjects,  and  their  means  of 
support}  at  one  glance;  except,  indeed?  the  sheepi 


u 


'   MEMOIRS  Ol" 


4l 


for  whoTki  a  large  and  commodious  building  was 
erected  very  near  tlic  barn  :  the  roof  of  which  waa 
furnished  with  a  loft  large  enough  to  contain  hay 
sufficient  for  their  winter's  food. 

Col.  Schuyler's  barn  was  by  far  the  largest  I 
have  ever  seen :  but  all  of  them,  in  that  country, 
were  constructed  on  the  same  plan,  furnished  with 
the  sume  accommodation,  and  presented  the  same 
cheering  aspect.  The  orchard,  as  I  formerly  men- 
tioned, was  on  the  south  side  of  the  bam ;  on  the 
north,  a  little  farther  back  towards  the  wood,  which 
formed  a  dark  skreen  behind  this  smiling  scene, 
there  was  an  enclosure,  in  which  the  remains  of  the 
deceased  members  of  the  family  were  deposited. 
A  field  of  pretty  large  extent,  adjoining  to  the  house 
on  that  si^e,,  remained  ulcultivated,  and  unenclos- 
ed ;  over  it  were  scattered  a  few  large  apple  tree« 
of  a  peculiar  kind ;  the  fruit  of  which  was  never 
appropriated.  This  piece  of  level  and  productive 
land,  so  near  the  family  mansion,  and  so  adapted 
tb  various  and  useful  purposes,  was  never  made 
"use  of:  but  left  open  as  a  public  benefit* 

From  the  known  liberality  of  this  munificent  fei- 
ily,  all  Indians,  or  oew  settlers,  on  their  journey, 
hether  they  came  by  land  or  water,  rested  here.— 
The  military,  in  passing,  always  formed  a  camp  on 
this  common ;  and  here  the  Indian  >Yigwams  were 
often  planted ;  here  all  manner  of  garden  stuflf, 
fruit,  andmilk^  were  plentifully  distributed  to  wan- 
derers of  all  descriptions.  Every  sumnier,  for  ma- 
ny years,  there  was  an  encampment,  either  of  regu- 
lar or  provincial  troops,^  on  itiia  common :  and  often 
when  the  troops  proceeded  northward,  a  little  colo- 
ny of  helpless  women  and-  children,  belonging  to 
them,  was  left  in  a  great  measure  dependant  on  the 
compassion  of  these  worthy  patriarchs  y  for  such 
the  brothers  mi^ht  be  justly  called. 


*-x.- 


«#l* 


"^^ 


AN  AlVJERICAN  LADY 


W 


CHAP.  XIX, 

Military  preparations. — Disinterested  conduct,  the  surest  i*qad 
to  populttrily.— Fidelity  of  the  Mohaws. 

HE  first  year  of  the  coloners  marriage  was 
chiefly  spent  in  New- York,  and  in   vifilts  to  the 
friends  of  his  bride  and  other  relations.     The  fol- 
lowing years  they  spent  at  home  ;  surrounded  daily 
by  his  brothers,  and  their  families,  and  other  rela- 
tives, with  whom  they  maintained  the  most  affec- 
tionate intercourse.     The  colonel,  however,  (as  I 
have  called  him  by  anticipation)  had,  at  this  time, 
his  mind  engaged  by  public  duties  of  the  most  ur-  . 
gent  nature.     He  was  a  member  of  the  colonial  as- 
sembly; and,  by  a  kind  of  hereditary  right,  was 
obliged  to  support  that  character  of  patriotism, 
courage,  and  public  wisdom,  which  had  so  eminent* 
ly  distinguished  his  father.     The  father  of  Mrs. 
Schuyler,  too,  had  been  long  mayor  of  Albany ;  at 
that  time  an  oiHce  of  great  importance :  as  inclu(^ 
ing,  within  itself,  the  entire  civil  power  exerciselT 
over  the  whole  settlement  as  well  as  the  town,  and 
having  attached  to  it  a  sort  of  patriarchal  authority ; 
for  the  people,  little  acquainted  with  coercion,  and 
by  no  means  inclined  to  submit  to  it,  had,  however^ 
a  profound  reverence,  as  is  generally  the  case  in  the 
infioicy  of  society,  for  the  families  of  their  first 
leaders ;  whom  they   had  looked  up  to  merely  as 
knowing  them  to  possess  superior  worth,  talent  and 
enterprise.     In  a  society,  as  yet  uncorrupted,  the 
value  of  this  rich  inheritance  can  only  be  diminish- 
ed by  degradation  of  character,  in  the  representa- 
tive of  a  family  thus  seli-eunobied  ;  especially  if  he 
be  disinterested.     This,  tiiough  apparently  a  nega- 
tive quality,  being  the  one  ot  aii  otners  that,  com- 
bined with  the  higher  powers  of  iniud,  most  engages 


X 


'^^ 


i  ^ 


96 


MEMOIRS  OF 


affection  in  private  and  esteem  in  public  life.  This 
is  a  shield  that  blunts  the  shafts  which  envy  never 
fails  to  level  at  the  prosperous,  even  in  old  estab- 
lishments ;  where,  from  the  veiy  nature  of  things, 
a  thousand  obstructions  rise  in  the  upward  path  of 
merit,  and  a  thousand  temptations  appear  to  mis« 
lead  it  from  its  direct  road ;  and  where  the  rays  of 
opinion  are  refracted  by  so  many  prejudices  of  con- 
tending interests  and  factions.  Still,  if  any  charm 
can  be  found  to  fix  that  fleeting  phantom  popular!-* 
ty,  this  is  it :  it  would  be  very  honourable  to  human 
nature,  if  this  could  be  attributed  to  the  pure  love  of 
virtue  ;  but,  alas  !  multitudes  are  not  made  up  of 
the  wise  or  the  virtuous.  Yet  the  very  selfish- 
ness of  our  nature  inclines  us  to  love  and  trust  those 
who  are  not  likely  to  desire  any  benefit  from  us,  in 
return  for  those. they  confer.  Other  vices  may  be, 
if  not  social,  in  some  degree  gregarious:  but 
even  the  avaricious  hate  avarice  in  all  but  them- 
selves. 

Thus,  inheriting  unstained  integrity,  unbounded 
popularity,  a  cool,  determined  spirit,  and  ample 
possessions,  no  man  had  fairer  pretensions  to  un- 
limited sway,  in  i^c  sphere  in  which  he  moved, 
than  the  colonel ;  but  of  this,  no  man  could  be  less 
desirous.  He  was  too  wise  and  too  happy  to  so- 
licit authority ;  and  yet  too  public-spirited  and 
too  generous  to  decline  it,  when  any  good  was  to 
be  done  or  any  evil  resisted ;  from  which  no  private 
benefit  resulted  to  himself 

Young  as  his  wife  was,  and  much  as  she  valued 
the  blessing  of  their  union,  and  the  pleasure  of  his 
society,  she  showed  a  spirit  worthy  of  a  Roman 
matron  ;  in  willingly  risking  all  her  happiness,  even 
in  that  early  period  of  her  marriage,  by  consenting 
to  his  assuming  a  military  command  ;  and  leading 
forth  the  provincial  troops  against  the  common 
enemy  :  who  had  now  become  more  boldly  dan- 
gerous than  ever.  Not  content  with  secretly  stim- 
ulating the  Ii\di(in  tubes,  who  were  their  allies, 


AN  AMERICAN  LADY. 


9T 


life.   This 
envy  never 
old  estab- 
of  things, 
ard  path  of 
ear  to  mis- 
the  rays  of 
ices  of  con- 
any  charm 
n  populari-* 
le  to  human 
pure  love  of 
nade  up  of 
cry  sclfish- 
l  trust  those 
from  us,  in 
ces  may  be, 
mous :   but 
I  but  them- 

unbounded 
and  ample 
sions  to  un- 
he  moved, 
ould  be  less 
lappy  to  so- 
ipirited  and 
good  was  to 
h  no  private 

i  she  valued 
asurc  of  his 
)f  a  Roman 
jiness,  even 
consenting 
and  leading 
le  common 
boldly  dan- 
cretly  stim- 
their  nllieS) 


and  enemies  to  the  Mohawks,  to  acts  of  violence, 
the  French  Canadians,  in  violation  of  existing  trea- 
ties, began  to  make   incursions  on  the  slightest 
pretexts.     It  was  no  common  warfare  in  which  the 
colonel  was  about  to  engage :  but  the  duties  of  .en- 
tering on  vigorous  measures   for  the  defencie  of 
the  country,  became  not  only  obvious  but  urgent. 
No  other  person  but  he  had  influence  enough  to 
produce  any  cohesion  among  the  people  of  that: 
district,  or  any  detennination,  with  their  own  arms 
and  at)  their  own  cost,  to  attack  the  common  ene- 
my.    As  formerly  observed,  this  had  hitherto  been, 
trusted  to  the  Ave  confederate   Mohawk  nations ; 
who,  though  still  faithful  to  their  oid  friends,  had 
too  much  sagacity  and  observation,  and  indeed  too    ' 
strong  a  native  sense  of  rectitude  to  persuade  their 
young  warriors  to  go  on  venturing  their  lives  in 
defence  of  those,  who,  from  their  increased  power 
and  numbers,  were  able  to  defend  themselves  with 
the  aid  of  their  allies.     Add  to  this>  that  their  pos-^ 
sessions  were  on  all  sides  daily  extending ;  and^^^' 
that  they,  the  Albanians,  were  carrying  their  trade-  ' 
for  furs,  &c.  into  the  deepest  recesses  of  the  forr 
csts,  and  towards  those  great  lakes  which  the  Ca- 
nadians  were  accustomed  to  consider  as  the  boun- 
daries of  their  dominions ;  and  where  they  had  In- 
dians whom  they  were  at  great  pains  to  attach  to 
themselves,  and  to  inspire  against  us  and  our  allies.  ' 
Colonel  Schuyler's  father  had  held  the  same  rank  ' 
in  a  provincial  corps  formerly:  but  in  his  time, 
there  was  a  profound  peace  in  the  district  he  in- 
habited;  though   from  His  resolute  temper,  and 
knowledge  of  public  business,  and  of  the  diflurent 
Indian  languages,  he  was  selected  to  head  a  regi- 
ment raised  in  the  Jerseys  and  the  adjacent  bounds, 
for  the  defence  of  the  back  frontiers  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, New-England,  8cc.     Colonel   Philip  Sciiuy- 
ler  was  the  first  who  raised  a  corps  in  the  interior   ' 
of  the  province  of  New-York  ;  wnich  was  liot  only 
done  by  his  personal  influence,  but  occusiuned  him 


93 


MEMOIRS  OF 


k 


a  considerable  expense,  though  the  regiment  was 
paid  by  the  province,  the  province  also  furnishing 
arms  and  military  stores  ;  their  service  being,  like 
that  of  all  provincidh,  limited  to  the  summer  half 
year.     iffSifif ''.'r  n^»' :  :i:{..;'<?fr';  m   m-<j  ?*? '•:.»•> ^juh)'?, 

The  governor  and  chief  commander  came  up  to 
Albany  to  view  and  approve  the  preparations  mak- 
ing for  this  interior  war,  and  to  meet  the  congress 
of  Indian  sachems ;  who,  on  that  occasion,  renewed 
their  solemn  league  with  their  brother  the  great 
king.  Colonel  Schuyler,  being  then  the  person 
they  most  looked  up  to  and  confided  in,  was  their 
proxy  on  this  occasion  in  ratifying  an  engagement 
to  which  they  ever  adhered  with  singulai*  fidelity. 
And  mutual  presents  brightened  the  chain  of  ami- 
ty, to  use  their  own  figurative  lahguage.      <  >'  wfjrx 

The  common  and  the  barn,  at  the  Flats,  were 
fully  occupied,  and  the  hospitable  mansion,  as  was 
usual  on  all  public  occasions,  overflowed.     There 
the  general,  his  aid-de-camps,  the  sachems,  and 
the  principal  ofiicers  of  the  colonel's  regiment, 
were  received ;  and  those  who  could  not  find  room 
there  of  the  next  class,  were  accommodated  by  Pe- 
ter and  Jeremiah.     On  the  common  was  an  Indian 
encampment ;  and  the  barn  and  orchm^d  were  full 
of  the  provincials.     All  these  last  brought  as  usual 
their  own  food;  but  were  supplied  by  this  liberal 
family  with  every  production  of  the  garden,  dairy, 
and  orchard.     "While  the  colonel's  judgment  was 
exercised  in  the  necessary  regulations  for  this  un- 
tried warfare,  Mrs.  Schuyler,  by  the  calm  forti- 
tude she  displayed  in  this  trying  exigence,  by  the 
good  sense  and  good  breeding  with  which  she  ac- 
commodated  her  numerous  and   various  guests, 
and  by  those  judicious  attentions  to  funiily  concerns, 
which,   producing   order   and   rcj^ularity  thi'ough 
every  dipurtmcnt  without  visible  bustle  and  anxie- 
ty, enable  the  mistress  of  a  famity  to  add  grace 
and  ease  to  hospitality,  showed  herself  worthy  of 
her  distinguished  lot.  ...       ^^..^ 


\p' 


AN  AMERICAN  LADY. 


99 


!j  H->V  '  ^  ,ft?JMii,V    CHAP.  XX.  .  jJi4;>-.Ai^t>t 

.'  •-  '-•  ,', ;.       ^'  • 

Account  of  a  refractory  Warrior,  and  of  the  Spirit  which  otill 
I     -  »•/  pervaded  the  New-England  Provinces.       •  ^  jj  . 

HILE  these  preparations  were  going^on,  the 
general*  was  making  every  effort  of  the  neigh- 
bourhood to  urge  those  who  had  promised  assist- 
ance, to  come  forward  with  their  allotted  quotas. 

On  the  other  side  of  the  river  not  very  far  from 
the  Flats,  lived  a  person  whom  I  shall  not  name ; 
though  his  conduct  was  so  peculiar  and  character- 
istic of  the  times,  that  his  anti-hei*oism  is  on  that 
Kole  account  worth  mentioning^  This  person  lived 
in  great  security  and  abundance,  in  a  place  like  an 
earthly  paradise,  and  scarcely  knew  what  it  was  to 
have  an  urigratified  wish,  having  had  considerable 
wealth  left  to  him  ;  and  fi*om  the  simple  and  do* 
mestic  habits  of  his  life,  had  formed  no  desires 
beyond  it,  unless  uideed  it  were  the  desire  of  being 
thought  a  brave  man,  which  seemed  his  greatest 
ambition :  he  was  strong,  robust,  and  an  excellent 
marksman ;  talked  loud,  looked  fierce,  and  always 
expressed  the  utmost  scorn  and  detestation  of 
cowardice.  The  colonel  applied  to  him,  that  his 
name,  and  the  names  of  such  adherents  as  ht  could 
bring,  might  be  set  down  in  the  list  of  those  who 
were  to  bring  their  quota,  against  a  given  time^ 
for  the  general  defence  :  with  the  request  he  com- 
plied. When  the  rendezvous  came  on,  this  talking 
wurrior  had  changed  his  mind,  and  absolutely  re- 
fused to  appear;  the  general  sent  for  him,  and 
warmly  expostulated  on  his  breach  of  promise; 
the  bad  example,  and  the  disarrangement  of  plan 
which  it  occasioned :  the  culprit  spoke  in  a  high 
tone,  sayhig,  very  truly,  ,"  that  the  general  was 
"  possessed  of  no  legal  means  of  coercion ;  that 

.  i  '.  :.^    *  ShWey,    -'•  t '^•.   'v    .     '^If  _ 


i 


100 


/<i    MEMOIRS  OP 


;5  » 


F:  i^! 


"  every  one  went  or  staid  as  they  chose ;  and  thai 
*♦  his  change  of  opinion  on  that  subject  rendered 
•**  him  liable  to  no  penalty  whatever."  Tired  of  this 
sophistry,  the  enraged  general  had  recourse  to 
club  law;  and  seizing  a  cudgel,  belaboured  thid 
yccreant  knight  most  manfully  ;  while  sevei*al  In- 
dian sachems,  and  many  of  his  own  countrymen  and 
friends,  coolly  stood  by;  for  the  colonel's  noted 
common  was  the  scene  <k  this  assault.  Our  poo? 
neighbour  (as  he  long  after  became)  suffered  this 
dreadful  bastinado,  unaided  and  unpitied  ;  and  this 
jt^xample,  and  the  subsequent  contempt  under 
which  he  laboured,  (for  he  was  ever  after  styled 
Captain,  and  he  did  not  refuse  the  title,)  was  said  to 
have  an  excellent  effect  in  preventing  such  retro- 
grade motions  in  subsequent  campiugns*.  The  pro* 
vincial  troops,  aided  by  the  faithful  Mohawks,  per- 
foi*med  their  duty  with  great  spirit  and  perseve- 
rance. They  were,  indeed,  very  superior  to  the 
ignorant,  obstinate,  and  mean-souled  beings,  who» 
in  after  times,  brought  the  very  name  of  provincial 
troops  into  discredit;  and  were  actuated  by  no 
single  motive  but  tliat  of  avoiding  the  legal  penalty 
then  affixed  to  disobedience,  and  enjoying  the  pay 
and  proyiaions  allotted  to  them  by  the  province  or 
the  mother  country,  I  cannot  exactly  say  which. 
Afterwards,  when  the  refuse  of  mankind  were  se-i 

•  Above  thirty  years  after,  when  thewi-iterof  these  pages 
Jived  with  her  lamily  at  the  Flats,  the  hero  of  this  little  tale 
used  very  tVeiiueiitly  to  visit  her  father,  a  veteran  officer ;  and 
being  a  (p'cal  talker,  war  and  polities  were  his  incessant  topics. 
There  was  no  campaign  or  expedition  proposed  but  M-hat  he 
eensured  and  decided  on ;  proposing  metltdds  of  his  own,  by 
Avhich  they  might  have  been  much  iH^tter  conducted  ;  in  short 
Parolles  with  his  drum  whs  a  mere  type  of  our  neighbour.  Her 
father  long  wondered  how  kindly  he  took  to  him,  and'  how  a 
person  of  so  much  wealth  and  eloquence  should  dwell  sd  ob- 
it urely,  and  shun  all  the  duties  of  public  life  ;  till  at  length  we 
discovered  that  he  still  loved  to  talk  arrogantly  of  war  and  pub- 
lic affairs,  and  pitched  upon  him  for  a  listener,  as  the  only  per- 
son he  couhl  8Ui>posc  ignorant  of  his  disgrace.  Such  is  huiUMi 
nature  !  and  so  incurable  is  kumau  vanity !  \ 


«* 


AN  AMERICAN  LADY. 


101 


lotted,  like  Falstaff's  soldiers,  and  raised  niuch  ia 
the  same  way,  the  New-York  troops  still  maintained 
their  respectability.  This  superiority  might,  with- 
out reproaching  others,  be  in  some  measure  account- 
ed for  from  incidental  causes.  The  four  New  Eng- 
land provinces  mere  much  earlier  settled,  assumed 
sooner  the  forms  of  a  civil  community,  and  Uved 
within  narrower  bounds;  they  were  more  laborious; 
their  fanatacism,  which  they  brought  from  England 
in  its  utmost  fervour,  long  continued  its  efferves- 
cence, where  there  were  no  pleasures,  or  indeed 
lucrative  pursuits,  to  detach  their  mind  from  it  s 
and  long  alter  that  genuine  spirit  of  piety,  which» 
however  narrowed  and  disfigured,  was  still  sincere, 
had  in  a  great  measure  evaporated;  enough  of 
the  pride  and  rigour  of  bigotry  remained  to  make 
them  detest  and  despise  the  Indian  tribes,  as  igno- 
rant heathen  savages.  The  tribes,  indeed,  who 
inhabited  their  district,  had  been  so  weakened  by 
an  unsuccessful  warfare  with  the  Mohawks,  and 
were  so  every  way  inferior  to  them,  that  after  the 
first  establishment  of  the  colony,  and  a  few  feeble 
attacks  successftilly  repulsed,  they  were  no  longer 
enemies  to  be  dreaded,  or  friends  to  be  cburted. 
This  had  an  unhappy  effect  with  regard  to  those 
provinces ;  and  to  the  different  relations  in  which 
they  stood  with  respect  to  the  Indians,  some  part 
of  the  striking  difference  in  the  moral  and  military 
character  of  these  variou:>  estaiblishments  must  be 
attributed.  ,.^,,  ,      ,,, 

The  people  of  New-England  left  thc'  mother 
country,  as  banished  from  it  by  what  they  consid- 
ered oppression  ;  camejover  foaming  with  religious 
and  political  fury,  and  narrowly  missed  having  the 
most  artful  and  able  of  demagogues,  Cromwell 
himself,  for  their  leader  and  guide.  They  might 
be  compared  to  lava,  discharged  by  the  fury  of  in- 
ternal combustion,  from  the  bosom  of  the  com- 
monwealth, while  inflamed  by  contending  ele- 
ments.   Tliis  lava,  cveiy  one  acquainted  with  the 


'< 


I 


lOJ^ 


<i  MEMOIRS  OF 


' 


convuUion^  of  nature  must  know,  takes  a  long 
time  to  cool;  and  when  at  length  it  is  cooled, 
turns  to  a  substance  hard  and  barren,  that  long  re- 
sists the  kindly  influence  of  the  elements,  before 
its  surface  resumes  the  appearance  of  beauty  and 
fertility.  Such  were  the  almost  literal  effects  of 
political  convulsions,  aggravated  by  a  fiery  and  in- 
tolerant zeal  for  their  own  mode  of  worship,  on 
these  self-righteous  colonists, 
fi. These  preliminary  remarks  on  the  diversity  of 
character  in  those  neighbouring  provinces  lead  the 
Way,  in  the  mean  time,  to  a  discrimination,  the 
effects  of  which  have  become  interesting  to  the 
whole  world, 

"X*^#5fl>;i*iv'- -•■   '      ''    ,  '•'  ^.-'Sv'?  :.>>.:^,;  j.,.f-. 

<im^^UfHAmh  si'CHAP.  XXI.  '  f^'rrn- -..rjr^  <=.. 

Distinguishing  Chavadteristies  of  the  Ne-w-York  Colonists,  t« 
wht^t  owing.-— Hagonots  and  Palatines,  their  Chu>acter. 

Jjl/T  to  feturhlVtlie  siiperiorflAoral  and  military 
character  of  the  New-York  populace.  It  was  in 
the  first  place  owing  to  a  well-regulated  piety,  less 
concerned  about  forms  than  essentials.  Next,  to 
an  influx  of  other  than  the  original  settlers,  which 
tended  to  rcndpr  the  general  system  of  opinion 
more  liberal  and  tolerant.  The  French  protestants, 
flrivei)  from  their  native  land  by  intolerant  bigotry, 
hud  lived  a^  home  excluded  alike  from  public  em- 
plbyments  and  fashionable  society.  Deprived  of 
so  many  resources  that  were  open  to  their  fel- 
loAv  subjects,  and  forced  to  seek  comfort  In  piety 
and  concord  for  many  privations,  self-command 
and'  frugality  had  been  in  a  manner  forced  upon 
them;  consequently  they  were  not  so  vain  or  so 
volatile  Qs  to  disgust  their  new  asfociates ;  while 


AN  AMERICAN  LADY. 


103 


their  cheerful  tempers,  accommodating  manners^i 
and  patience  under  adversity,  were  very  prepos- 
sessing^. 

These  additional  inhabitants,  being  such  as  had 
suffered  real  and  extreme  hardships  for  conscience 
sake,  from  absolute  tyranny  and  the  most  cruel  in- 
tolerance, rejoiced  in  the  free  exercise  of  a  pure 
and  rational  religion,  and  in  the  protection  of  mild 
and  equitable  lawis,  as  the  first  of  human  blessings ; 
which  privation  had  so  far  taught  them  to  value, 
that  they  thought  no  exertion  too  great  to  preserve 
them.  I  should  have  formerly  mentioned^  besides 
the  French  refugees  already  spc^en  of,  during  the 
earliest  period  of  the  estublishiucnt  uf  the  British 
sovereignty  in  this  part  of  the  continent,  a  great 
number  of  the  protestants,  whom  the  fury  of  war 
and  persecution  on  religious  accounts  had  driven 
from  the  Palatinate,  during  the  successful  and  de- 
solating period  of  the  wars  carried  on  against  that 
unhappy  country  by  Lewis  the  Fourteenth.?  The 
subdued  and  contented  spirit,  the  simple  and  primi- 
tive  manners,  and  frugal,  industrious  habits  of  these 
genuine  sufferers  for  conscience  sake,  made  them 
an  acquisition  to  any  society  which  received  them^ 
and  a  most  suitable  infusion  among  the  inhabitants 
of  this  province  ;  who,  devoted  to  the  pursuits  of 
agriculture  and  the  Indian  trade,  which  encourag- 
ed a  wild  romantic  spirit  of  adventure,  little  re- 
lished those  mechanical  employments,  op  that  pet- 
ty yet  necessary  traffic  in  shops,  &c.  to  which  part 
bf  every  regulated  society  must  needs  devote  their 
attention.  These  civic  toils  were  left  to  those  pa- 
tient and  industrious  exiles ;  while  the  friendly  in- 
tercourse with  the  original  natives  had  strongly 
tinctured  the  first  colonists  with  many  of  their  ha- 
bits and  modes  of  thinking.  Like  them,  they  de- 
lighted in  hunting ;  that  image  of  war,  which  so 
cenerally,  where  it  is  the  prevalent  amusement, 
forms  the  body  to  athletic  force  and  patient  endur- 
ance, and  the  mind  to  daring  intrepidity.    It  was 


111 


t04 


MEMOIRS  OP 


!i 


5 


I- 


1 

If 


not  alone  the  timorous  deer  or  feeble  hare  that 
were  the  objects  of  their  pursuit ;  nor  could  they 
in  such  an  impenetrable  cotmtry  attempt  to  rival 
the  fox  in  speed  or  subtlety.  When  they  kept 
their  "  few  sheep  in  the  wilderness,**  the  she  bear, 
jealous  for  her  young,  and  the  wolf,  furious  for  prey, 
were  to  be  encountered  for  their  protection.  From 
these  allies  too,  many  who  lived  much  among  them 
had  learnt  that  fearless  adherence  to  truth,  which 
exalts  the  mind  to  the  noblest  kind  of  resolution. 
The  dangers  they  were  exposed  to  of  meeting  wan- 
dering individuals,  or  parties  of  hostile  Indians, 
while  traversing  the  woods  in  their  sporting  or 
commercial  advt^nturcs,  and  tlie  necessity  that 
sometimes  occurred  of  defending  their  families  by 
their  own  J)ersonal  prowess,  from  the  stolen  irrup- 
tions of  detached  parties  of  those  usually  called  the 
French  Indians,  hud  also  given  their  minds  a  war- 
like bent;  and  as  a  boy  was  not  uncommonly  trust- 
ed at  nine  or  ten  years  of  age  with  a  light  fowling- 
piece,  which  he  soon  learned  to  use  with  great 
dexterity,  few  countries  could  produce  such  dex- 
terous marksmen,  or  persons  so  well  qualified  for 
conquering  those  natural  obstacles  of  thick  woods 
and  swamps,  which  would  at  once  baffle  the  most 
determined  European.  It  was  not  only  that  they 
were  strong  of  limb,  swift  of  foot,  and  excellent 
marksmen— -the  hatchet  was  as  familiar  to  them 
AS  the  musket ;  and  an  amateur,  who  had  never 
cut  wood  but  for  his  diversion,  could  hew  down  a 
tree  with  a  celerity  that  would  astonish  and  abash  a 
professed  wood-cutter  in  this  country;  in  short, 
when  means  or  arguments  could  be  used  powerful 
enough  to  collect  a  people  so  uncontrolled  and  so 
uncontrollable,  and  when  headed  by  a  leader  whom 
they  loved  and  trusted,  so  much  as  they  did  Col. 
Schuyler,  a  well  armed  body  of  New-York  provin- 
cials had  nothing  to  dread  but  an  ague  or  an  ambus- 
cade, to  both  of  which  they  were  much  exposed  on 
the  banks  of  the  lakes,  and  amidst  the  swampy 


forest! 

pursui 

with  t] 

light  t 

those  I 

and  ge 

This  ii 

I  only 

those  I 

make  ^ 

tion  on 

cials  bi 

kept  o 

brothei 

the  Fi\ 

most  ol 

strike  i 

year  or 


A  child  SI 


M 


RS 

power 
bly  hurt 
friends, 
them  ur 
colonel' 
child,  w 
ness;  bi 
rant  of  ii 
to  the  d 
dence,  \i 
volent  p 


AN  AMERICAN  LAOY. 


id^ 


te  that 
Id  they 
to  rival 
f  kept 
le  beari 
)r  preyi 

From 
ig  them 
,  which 
olution. 
igwan- 
[ndianSy 
ting  or 
ity   that 
lilies  by 
1  irrup- 
.Ued  the 
s  a  wur- 
ly  trust- 
owling- 
h  great 
ch  dex- 
fied  for 
5.  woods 
le  most 
lat  they 
sccelknt 
.o  them 
I  n^vcr 
down  a 
abash  a 
n  short) 
owerfui 

and  so 

sr  whom 

iid  Col. 

provin- 

ambus- 
»osed  on 
swampy 


forests,  through  which  they  had-  to  penetrate  in 
pursuit  of  an  enemy,  of  whom  they  might  say 
with  the  Grecian  hero,  that  « they  wanted  but  day- 
light to  conquer  him."  This  first  essay  in  arms  of 
those  provincials,  under  the  auspices  of  their  brave 
and  generous  leader,  succeeded  beyond  their  hdpes. 
This  is  all  I  can  recollect  of  it.  Of  its  destination 
I  only  know  that  it  was  directed  against  some  of 
those  establishments  which  the  French  began  to 
make  within  the  British  boundaries.  The  expedi- 
tion only  terminated  with  the  season.  The  provin- 
cials brought  home  Canadian  prisoners,  who  were 
kept  on  their  parole  in  the  houses  of  the  three 
brothers,  and  became  afterwards  their  friends ;  and 
the  Five  Nations  brought  home  Indian  prisoners, 
most  of  whom  they  adopted,  and  scalps  enough  to 
strike  awe  into  the  adverse  nations,  who  were  for  ^ 
year  or  two  afterwards  pretty  quiet. '  / »    « ' » 


•'-^ra 


^j'},.<f-^t:A  ': 


.A')  ■',<  .-■'    -J.  1  r^.^y>'^  ' 


<?  . 


-u  :-a' 


^■;""t*-  n-  •V'i".. .:.) . 


;|, 


CHAP.  XXIL 


r":)Iii-'Hi   ■i'i.i 


*>     *  .  f-    t 


A  child  stilI-born.->Adoption  of  children  «ommon  in  tiie  p^ 
vince.— Madame's  visit  to  NeW'York. 

RS.  SCHUYLER  had  contributed  all  in  he? 
power  to  forward  this  expedition  ;  but  was  proba- 
bly hurt,  either  by  the  fatigue  of  receiving  so  many 
friends,  or  tlie  anxiety  produced  by  parting  with 
them  under  such  circumstances ;  for  soon  after  the 
colonel's  departure  she  was  delivered  of  a  dead 
child,  which  event  was  followed  by  an  alarming  ill- 
ness ;  but  she  wished  the  colonel  to  be  kept  igno- 
rant of  it,  that  he  might  give  his  undivided  attention 
to  the  duties  in  which  he  was  engaged.  Provi- 
dence, which  doubtless  had  singled  out  this  bene- 
volent pair  to  be  the  parents  of  many  who  had  n» 


lOS 


i  ti 


/MEMOIRS  OF 


natural  claim  upon  their  affection^  did  not  indulge 
them  with  any  succeeding  prospects  of  a  family  of 
their  own.     This  privation,  not  a  frequent  one  in 
this  colony,  did  not  chill  the  minds  or  narrow  the 
hearts  of  people,   who,  from  this   circumstance, 
found  themselves  more  at  liberty  to  extend  their 
beneficence,  and  enlarge  that  circle  which  embra- 
ced the  objects  of  their  love  and  care.    This  indeed 
was  not  singular  during  that  reign  of  natural  feel- 
ing which   preceded  the  prevalence  of  artificial 
modes  in  this  primitive  district.     The  love  of  off- 
Hpring  is  certainly  one  of  the  strongest  desires  that 
the  uncorrupted  mind  fvjrms  to  itself  in  a  state  of 
comparative  innocence.     Affecting  indifTerence  on 
tlii«  subject  is  the  surest  proof  of  a  disposition  ei- 
tlier  callous?  or  led  by  extreme  vanity  to  pretend, 
insensibilj^ty  to  the  best  feelings  of  nature^^r;,  i^».     - 
To  a  tie  so  exquisitely  tender,  the  pledge  and 
bond  of  connubial  union ;  to  that  bud  of  promised 
felicity,  which  always  cheers  with  the  fragrance  of 
hope  the   noon-day  of  toil  or  care,  and  often  sup- 
ports with  the  rich  cordial  of  filial  love  and  watch- 
'  lul  duty  the  evening  of  our  decline,  what  mind  can 
be  indifferent.     No  wonder  the  joys  of  paternity 
should  be  highly  relished  where  they  were  so  rich- 
ly flavoured ;  where  parents  knew  not  what  it  was 
to  find  a  rebel  or  a  rival  in  a  child ;  first,  because 
they  set  the  example  of  simplicity,  of  moderation, 
and  of  seeking  their  highest  joys  in  domestic  life  j 
next,  because  they  quietly  expected   and   calmly 
welcomed  the  evening  of  life ;  and  did  not,  by  an 
absurd  desire  of  being  young  too  long,  inspire  their 
offspring  with  a  premature  ambition  to  occupy  their 
place.     What  sacrifices  have  I  not  seen  made  to 
filial  piety!    How  many  respectable  (though  not 
young)  maidens,  who  without  pretending  a  dislike 
to  marriage,  have  rejected  men  whom  their  hearts 
approved,  because  they  would  not  forsake^  during 
her  lifetime,  a  widowed  mother,  whose  sole  com- 
fort they  were  ?  .      .  .»<^  v^        -^    «-    -4»ii  -    -- 


'_! 


indulge 
amiiy  of 
t  one  in 
row  the 
astancC) 
id  their 

einbra- 
s  indeed 
ral  feel- 
Eirtificial 
B  of  off- 
ires  tliat 

state  of 
'ence  on 
>ition  ei- 

pretend 

Ige  nnd 
romised 
Tiince  of 
ten  sup- 
i  watch- 
(lind  can 
>aternity 

so  rich- 
at  it  was 
because 
deration, 
Stic  life ; 

calmly 
I,  by  an 
>jre  their 
ipy  their 
made  to 
ugh  not 
a  dislike 
ir  hearts 
i^  during 
>le  com* 


AN  American  lady. 


tor 


For  such  children  who,  that  hopes  to  grotr  old, 
would  not  wish  ?    A  consideration  which  the  most 
potifthed  manners  of  Europe  teach  us  to  banish  asi 
far  as  possible  from  our  minds.     We  have  learned 
to  check  this  niitural  sentiment,  by  finding  other 
objects  fof  those  fiicultres  of  our  minds,  which  na-^ 
ture  intended  to  ble«s  and  benefit  creatures  born  to 
love  us^andtd  enlat^ge  ou(r  affections  by  exciting  them. 
If  this  Mream,  which  so  naturally  inclines  to  flow 
downMrards,  happened  to  be  checked  in  it*  course 
for  W;ant  df  the  usual  channel,  thcise  tidepts  in  th«i 
scienice  of  happiness  immediately  formed'a  new  one, 
and  liked  dieir  canal  as  well  as  a  rive^iv  4)eoau8e  ic 
was"  of  their  own  making.    To  speak  Without  a 
metaphor,  whoever  wanted  a  child  adopted  cfne^i^-^ 
love  produced  love,  and  the  grafted  scibw  very  of- 
ten proved  an  ornament  and  defence  to  the  sup- 
porting stock.     But  then  the  scion  was  generally 
artless  and  graceful.     This  is  a  part  of  the  manners 
of  my  old  frieads  which  I  always:  remember  with 
delight ;  more  particularly  as  it  was  tl^e  invai^iable 
custom  to  select  the  child  of  a  friend  who  had  a^  nu- 
merous family.     The  very  animals'  are  not  devoid 
of  that  miXtAire  of  &#ection  and  sa^cityj  whidh  sug- 
gests a  mode  of  supplying  this  great  desideratum. 
Next  to  that  prince  of  cats,  the  famous  cat  of  Whit- 
lingtoh,  I  would  place  the  cat  recorded' by  Dr. 
White  in  his  curious  natural  history,  who  w^n- 
deprived  of  her  young,  sought-a  parcel  of  deserted 
leverets  to  suckle  and  to  fondle^     What  an  exam- 
ple ! 

The  following  year  produced  a  suspension  of  hos- 
tilities between  the  provinces  and  the  Canadians. 
The  colonel  went  to  New-York  to  attend  his  duty, 
being  again  chosen  a  member  of  the  colonial  as- 
semlily.  Mrs.  Schuyler  accompanied  him;  and 
being  improved  both  in  mind  and  manners  since  her- 
marriage,  which,  by  giving  her  a  more  important 
part  to  act,  had  called  forth  her  powers,  she  became 
the  centre  of  a  circle  by  no  means  inelegant  or  un- 


1 


106 


(    MEMOIRS  OF    \^l. 


informed ;  for  society  was  there  more  various  and 
more  polished  than  in  any  other  pa)t  of  the  conti- 
nent, both  from  the  mixture  of  settlers,  formerly 
described,  and  from  its  being  situated  in  a  province 
most  frequently  the  seat  of  war,  and  consec^uently 
forming  the  head  quarters  of  the  army,  which,  in 
point  of  the  birth  and  education  of  the  candidates 
for  promotion,  was  on  a  very  different  footing  from 
what  it  has  been  since.  It  was  then  a  much  nar- 
rower range,  and  the  selection  more  attended  to.— 
Unless^a  man,  by  singular  powers  or  talent,  fought 
his  way  from  the  inferior  rank$,  there  was  hardly  an 
instance  of  a  person  getting  even  a  subaltern's  com- 
mission whc^se  birth  was  not  at  least  genteel,  and 
who  had  not  interest  and  alliances.  There  waft  not 
90  many  lucrative  places  under  government.  The 
wide  field  of  adventure  since  opened  in  the  East 
was  scarcely  known ;  a  subaltern's  pay  was  more 
adequate  to  the  maintenance  of  a  gentleman ;  and 
the  noblest  and  most  respected  families  had  no  oth- 
er way  of  providing  for  such  younger  brothers,  as 
were  not  bread  to  any  learned  profession  but  by 
throwing  them  into  the  army.  As  to  morals,  this 
did  not  perhaps  much  mend  the  matter.  These 
officers  might  in  some  instances  be  thoup^htless,  and 
even  profligate,  but  they  were  seldom  ignorant  or 
low  bred ;  and  that  rare  character  called  a  finished 
gentleman,  was  not  unfrequently  to  be  found  among 
die  higher  ranks  of  them ;  who  had  added  experi- 
ence, reading,  and  reflection  to  their  original  stock 
of  taleiUs  and  attainments.  r  V      ^  ;{^ 

bat*-  -riSi^. '     ^oii3.<tJivji:\?,"u    'i^liV  ^M^   '.^'iH-     "•.tl-.*^'-. 


AN  AMERICAN  LADY. 


\m 


1 


,h.tUf  bail  !;*'''•  •      '     '  ■     *     ■ 
'.  jrjt»<j^^'M,,i,v.  CHAP.  XXIII.     fhivi  <Jd^pih{^ 

Colond  Schityler's  partiality  to  the  military. — Children  suecev-* 
sively  adopted. — ludiun  character  falsely  diargcd  with  idle-  > 


ncsB. 


.iJl't 


T  so  happened  that  .  succession  of  officers,  of  the 
description  mentioned  in  the  preceding  chapter/ 
were  to  be  ordered  upon  the  service  which  I  have 
lieen  detailing ;  and  whether  in  New-York  or  at^ 
home,  they  always  attached  themselves  particular-; 
ly  to  this,  family^  who,  to  the  attractions  of  good 
i)reeding  and  easy  intelligent  conversation,  added 
the  power,  which  they  pre-eminently  possessed,  of 
smoothing  the  way  for  their  necessary  intercourse 
with  the, independent  and  self-righted  settlers,  and 
instructing  them  in  many  things  essential  to  pr6- 
moteJ  theii^uccess  of  the  pursuits  in  which  tliQy  were» 
about  to  iengjage.     It  was  one  of  aunt.Scbnyler'Si 
many  singular  meritsr,  that,  after  acting  for  a  'timo 
a  distinguished '  piart  in  this  comparatively  refined  ^ 
society,  where  few  were  so  much  admired  and  es- 
teemed, she  could  return  to  the  homely  good  sense 
and  primitive  manners  of  her  fellow  citizens  at  Al- 
bany, free  from  fastidiousness  and  disgust.     Few 
indeed,  without  study  or  design,  ever  better  under-* 
stood  the  art  of  being  happy,  and  making  others  soi'^ 
Being  gay  i&  another  sort  of  thing;  gaiety,  as  the* 
wordii  understood  in  society,  is  too  often  assumed^ 
artificial,  and  produced  by  such  an  effort,  i  that  in 
the  midst  of .  laughter,' "  the  heart  is  indeed  sad." 
Very  different  are  the  smiles  that  occasionally  il- 
lume the  placid  countenance  of  cheerful  tranquillity. 
They  are  the  emanations  of- a  heart  at  rest:  in  the 
enjoyment  of  that  sunshine  of  the  breast,  which  isi 
set  Sav  ever  to  the  restless  votaries  of  mere  amuse-' 
ment.  .;;  ,  ;        .  -i^: ;  *     .        •.        :  .    .:      .- 


.11 


I.IO 


MEMOIRS  OF 


fU 


According  to  the  laudable  custom  of  the  country 
they  took  home  a  child,  whose  mother  had  died  in 
giving  her  biith,  and  whose  father  was  a  relation  of 
the  colonel's.  This  child's  name  was  either  Schuy- 
ler or  Cuyler,  I  do  not  exactly  remember  which ; 
but  I  remember  her  many  years  after  as  Mrs.  Vaiv- 
der  Poolen ;  when,  as  a  comely  contented  looking 
matron,  she  used  to  pay  her  annual  visit  to  her  be- 
nefactress, and  send  her  ample  presents  of  such 
rural  dainties  as  her  abode  affoi*ded.     I  have  often 
heard  her  warm  in  her  praises ;  saying  how  useful, 
how  modest,  and  how  affectionate  she  bad  been  ;•>— 
and  exulting  in  her  comfortable  settleiuent,  and  the 
plain  wocth,  which  made  her  a  blessing  to  her  fa- 
mily.    From  this  time  to  her  aui^it's  death,  above 
fifty  years  afterwards,  her  house  was  never  without 
one,  but  much  oftener  two  cliildren>  whom  this  ex- 
emplary pair  educated  with  parjgntal  care  and  kind- 
ness.    And  whenever  one  of  their  protegees  marri- 
ed out  of  the  house,  which  was  generally  at  a  very 
early  age,  she  carried  with  her  a  female  slave,  bom 
and  baptised  in  the  house,  and  brought  up  with  a 
thorough  knowledge  of  her  duty,  and  an  habitual 
attuchnent  to  lier  mi&tre^s ;  besides  tike  usual  pre- 
sent of  the  furniture  of  a  chambery  and  a  piece  of 
plate,  such  as  a  tea-pot,  tankard,  or  some  such  use- 
ful matter,  which  was  more  or  lets  valuable  as  the 
proteg^  was   more    or  less  beloved:  for  though 
{vunt  Schuyler  had  great  satisfaction  from  the  cha- 
racters and  conduct  of  all  her  adopted,  there  were, 
no  doubt,  degrees  of  merit  among  them,  of  which 
ahe  was  better  able  to  judge  than  if  she  had  been 
their  actual  mother.  .);«;<  '• 

There  was  now  an  interval  of  peace,  which  gave 
these  philanthropists  more  leisure  to  do  good  in 
their  own  way.  They  held  a  three-fold  band  of 
kindness  in  their  handsi,  by  which  they  led  to  the 
desirable  purpose  of  mutu  d  advantage,  three  very 
discordant  eieraents,  which  .were  daily  becoming- 
more  ditlicuit  to  mingle  and  to  rule  ;  luid  which  yet 


" 


AN  AMERICAN  LADY. 


IM 


e  country 
id  died  in 
•elation  of 
er  Schuy- 
;r  which; 
/Irs.  Van- 
d  looking 
to  her  be- 
5  of  such 
lave  often 
>w  useful) 
1  been ;— . 
It,  and  the 
to  her  fa- 
ith, above 
sr  without 
m  this  ex* 
ranidkind- 
ees  marri- 
^  at  a  very 
ilave,  born 
up  with  a 
n  habitual 
usual  pre- 
a  piece  of 

such  use- 
ible  as  the 
or  though 
n  the  cha- 
tiere  were, 
ly  of  which 

had  been 

rhich  gave 
o  good  in 
d  band  of 
led  to  the 
ihree  very 
becoming 
which  yet 


were  the  more  dependent  on  each  other  for  mutual 
comfort,  from  the  very  causes  which  tended  to  dis- 
unite them. 

In  the  first  place,  the  Indians  began  to  assume 
that  unfavour{d>le  and  uncertain  aspect,  which  it  is 
the  fate  of  man  to  wear  in  the  first  steps  of  his  pro- 
gress from  that  state,  where  he  is  a  being  at  once 
warlike  and  social,  having  few  wants,  and  being 
able,  without  constant  labour  or  division  of  ranks, 
to  supply  them ;  where  there  is  no  distinction,  save 
that  attained  by  superior  strength  of  mind  and  bo- 
dy ;  and  where  there  are  no  laws,  but  those  dictated 
by  good  sense,  aided  by  experience,  and  enforced 
by  affection,  this  state  of  life  may  be  truly  called  the 
reign  of  the  affections  :  the  love  of  kindred  and  of 
country  ruling  paramount,  unrivalled  by  other  pas- 
sions, all  others  being  made  subservient  to  these. 
Vanity,  indeed,  was  in  some  degree  flattered;  for 
people  wore  ornaments,  and  were  at  no  sniaftpainK 
to  make  them.  Pride  existed :  but  was  diffei-cfnt^y 
modified  from  what  we  see  it ;  every  man  was  proud 
of  the  prowess  and  achievements  of  his  tribe  coli> 
lectively ;  of  his  personal  virtues  he  was  not  proud, 
becaune  we  excel  but  by  comparison  ;  and  he  rare^ 
ly  saw  instances  of  the  opposite  vices  in  his  owik 
nation,  and  looked  on  others  with  unqualified  con- 
tempt. 

When  any  public  benefit  was  to  be  obtained,  of 
any  public  danger  to  be  averted,  their  mutual  ef- 
forts were  all  bent  to  one  end ;  and  no  one  knew 
what  it  was  to  withhold  his  utmost  aid,  nor  indeed 
could  in  that  stage  of  society  have  any  motive  for 
doing  so.  Hence,  no  mind  being  contracted  by 
selfish  cares,  the  community  were  but  as  one  large 
family,  who  enjoyed  or  suffered  together.  W6 
are  accustomed  to  talk,  in  parrot  phrase,  of  indb- 
lent  savages  ;  and  tu  be  sure,  in  warm  climates,  and 
where  the  state  of  man  is  truly  savage,  that  is  to 
say,  unsocial,  void  of  virtue  and  void  of  comforts, 
he  is  certainly  an  indolent  being;  but-4hat  indi- 


1,12 


1     MEMOIRS  Of 


I 


vidualf  in  a  cold  climate,  who  has  tasted  the  sweefs 
of  social  life,  who  knows  the  wants  that  arise  from 
it,  who  provides  for  his  children  in  their  helpless 
state,  and  where  taste  and  ingenuity  are  so  much 
improved,  that  his  person  is  not  only  clothed  with 
warm  and  seemly  apparel,  but  decorated  with  nu" 
merous  and  not  inelegant  ornaments  ;  which  from 
the  scarcity  and  simplicity  of  his  tools,  he  has  no 
ready  or  easy  mode   of  producing :  when ,  he  hasr 
not  only  found  out  all  these  wants,  which  he  has 
no    means    of   supplying  but   by   his  individual 
strength,  dexterity,  and   ingenuity,  industry  must 
be  added,  ere  they  c^n  be  all  regularly  gratified. 
Very  active  and  industrious,  in  fact,  the  Indians 
were  in  their  original  state  ;  and  when  we  take  it 
into  consideration,  that  beside  all  these  occupa- 
tions, together  with  their  long  joumies,  wars  and 
constant  huntings  and  fishing,  their  leisure   was 
occupied  not  only  by  athletic  but  studious  games, 
at  which  they  played  for  days  together  with  un- 
heard of  eagerness  and  perseverance,  it  will  ap- 
pear they  had  very  little  of  that  lounging  time,  !br 
which  we  are  so  apt  to  give  them  credit.     Or  if  a 
chief  occasionally  after  fatigue,  of  which  we  can 
form  no  adequate  idea,  lay  silent  in  the  shade,  those 
frisking  Frenchmen  who  have  given  us  most  de- 
tails  concerning  them,   were  too   restless  them- 
selves to  subdue  their  skipping  spirits  to  the  recol- 
lection, that  a  Mohawk  had  no  study  or  arm  chair 
wherein  to  muse  and  cogitate  ;  and  that  his  schemes 
of  patriotism,  his  plans  of  war,  and  his  eloquent 
speeches,  were  all  like  the  meditations  of  Jacques, 
formed   "  under   the  greenwood  tree."     Neither 
could  any   man  lounge  on  his  sofa,  while  half  a 
dozen  others  were  employed  in  shearing  the  sheep, 
prep«tring  the   wool,  weaving  and  making  his  coat, 
or  in  planting  the   flax  for  his  future   linen,  and 
flaying  the  ox  for  his  future  shoes ;  wore  he  to  do 
all  this  himself,  he  would   have    little   leisure  for 
study  or  repose.     And  all  Uiis  and  more  the  Indian 


il 


AN  AMERICAN  LADY. 


lis 


le  sweet's 
ise  froift 

helpless 
so  much 
icd  with 
with  nu<- 
ich  from 
3  has  no 

he  hasr 
h  he  has 
idividual 
try  must 
gratified. 

Indians 

take  it 
ocoupa- 
rars  and 
irc  was 
;  games, 
t'ith  un- 
will  ap- 
ime,  for 
Or  if  a 
we  can 
e,  those 
lost  de- 
i  them- 
le  recol- 
m  chair 
chemes 
loquent 
acqueS) 
Neither 

half  a 
'  sheep, 
kis  coat> 
en,  and 
ic  to  do 
urc  for 

Indian 


did,  under  other  names  and  forms.  So  that  idle- 
ness, with  its  gloomy  followers  ennui  and  suicide, 
were  unknown  among  this  truly  active  people : 
yet  that  there  is  a  higher  state  of  society  cannot  be 
denied ;  liof  cati  it  be  denied  that  thfe  ilitertn^diate 
state  is  a  painful  and  enfeebling  one. 

Man,  in  a  state  of  nature,  is  taught  by  his  more 
civilized  brethren  a  thousand  new  wants  before  h^ 
learns  to  supply  one.  Theh6e  barter  takes  place ; 
which  in  the  fii^st  stage  oCptogressiOn  is  universal- 
ly fatal  to  the  liberty,  the  spirit,  and  the  comforts 
of  an  uncivilized  people. 

In  the  eaity  where  the  cradle  of  our  infant  nature 
was  appointed,  the  clime  was  genial,  its  productions 
abundant,  and  its  \^inters  only  sufficient  to  consume 
the  surplus,  and  give  a  welcome  variety  to  the  sea- 
sons. There  man  was  either  a  shepherd  or  a  hun- 
ter, as  his  disposition  led ;  and  that  perhaps  in  tlic 
same  family.  The  meek  spirit  of  Jacob  delighted 
in  tending  his  father's  flocks ;  v^'^hiM  the  more  dar- 
ing and  adventurous  ESau  traced  the  wilds  of 
mount  Seir,  in  pursuit  both  of  the  fiercer  animals 
who  waged  war  upon  the  fold,  and  the  more 
timorOus  who  administered  to  the  luxury  of  the 
table. 

The  progress  of  civilization  was  here  gradual 
and  gentle ;  and  the  elegant  arts  seem  to  have 
gone  hand  in  hand  with  the  useful  ones.  For  we 
read  of  bracelets  and  ear-rings  sent  as  tokens  of 
love,  and  images  highly  valued  and  coveted ;  while 
cVen  agriculture  seemed  in  its  infancy.  ^  .<^| 

^  •    '      •*-  '  -fit 


v«  r    ■,..  Ji  -^^  i.    :•  1-.    :i  -f  ;t 


H 


,.  ■« 


ii 


I » /  r   »   . 
L3 


'»^ '■  < 


-•i 


. ..  ^ 


114 


MEMOIRS  OF 


i 


n 


i.  J 


.Ml 


Him,  •.:•■•  *i^ 


CHAP.  XXIX. 


s-y.' 


4  rf*-     •  rt 


^nl 


I 

Progress  of  Civilization  in  Europe. — Northern  Nations  instruC' 
ted  in  the  Arts  of  Life  by  those  they  had  subdued. 

OPULATION  extending  to  the  milder  regions 
oF  Europe,  brought  civilization  along  with  it;  so 
that  it  is  only  among  the  savages  (as  we  call  our 
ancestors  of  the  North)  tliat  we  can  trace  the  in- 
termediate state  I  have  spoken  of.  Amingst  them, 
one  regular  gradation  seems  to  have  taken  place  ;. 
they  were  first  hunters  and  then  warriors.  As  they 
advanced  in  their  knowledge  of  the  arts  of  life,  and 
acquired  a  little  property,  as  much  of  pastoral  pur- 
suits as  their  rigorous  climate  would  allow,  with- 
out the  aid  of  regular  agriculture,  mingled  with 
their  wandering  habits.  But,  except  in  a  few  par- 
tial instances,  from  hunters  they  became  conquer- 
ors :  the  warlike  habits  acquired  from  that  mode 
of  life  raising  their  minds  above  patient  industry, 
and  teaching  them  to  despise  the  softer  arts  that 
ofubellish  society.  In  fine,  their  usual  process 
\va5  to  pass  to  civilization  through  the  medium  of 
conquest.     The  poet  says,  ... 

"  With  noble  scorn  the  first  f«m*d  Cato  viewed, 
.,     Uomr  learning  arts  from  Greece  which  she  subdued." 

Tlie  surly  censor  might  have  spared  his  scorn, 
for  doubtless  science,  and  the  arts  of  peace  were 
by  far  the  most  valuable  acquisitions  resulting  frofn 
their  conquest  of  that  polished  and  ingenious  peo- 
ple. 13ut  when  the  savage  hunters  of  the  north  be- 
rame  too  numerous  to  subsist  on  their  deer  and 
fish,  and  too  warlike  to  dread  the  conflict  with 
troops  more  regularly  armed,  they  rushed  down, 
like  a  cataract,  on  their  enfeebled  and  voluptuous 
neighbours ;  destroyed  the  monuments  of  art,  and 
seemed  for  a  time  to  change  the  very  face  of  j^gt- 


AN  AMERICAN  LADY. 


115 


lure.  Yet  dreadful  as  were  the  devastations  of  this 
flood,  let  forth  by  divine  vengeance  to  punish  and 
to  renovate,  it  had  its  use  in  sweeping  away  the 
hoarded  mass  of  corruption  with  which  the  dregs  of 
mankind  had  polluted  the  earth.  It  was  an  awful, 
but  a  needful  process ;  which,  in  some  form  or 
other,  is  always  renewed  when  human  degeneracy 
has  reached  its  ultimatum.  The  destruction  of 
these  feeble  beings,  who,  lost  to  every  manly  and 
virtuous  sentiment,  crawl  about  the  rich  property 
which  they  have  not  sen^e  to  use  worthily,  or  spirit 
to  defend  manfully,  may  be  compared  to  the  effort 
nature  makes  to  rid  herself  of  the  noxious  brood 
of  wasps  and  slugs,  cherished  by  successive,  mild 
winters.  A  dreadful  frost  comes  ;  man  suffers,  and 
complains ;  his  subject  animals  suffer  more,  and 
all  his  works  are  K)r  a  time  suspended :  but  this 
salutary  infliction  purifies  the  air,  meliorates  the 
soil,  and  destroys  millions  of  lurking  enemies, 
who  would  otherwise  have  consumed  the  produc- 
tions of  the  earth,  and  deformed  the  face  of  nature. 
In  these  barbarous  irruptions,  the  monuments  of 
art,  statues,  pictures,  temples,  and  palaces,  seem 
to  be  most  lamented.  From  age  to  age  the  vir- 
tuosi of  every  country  have  re-echoed  to  each  other 
their  feeble  plaints  over  the  lost  works  of  art ;  as 
if  that  had  been  the  heaviest  sorrow  in  the  general 
wreck ;  and  as  if  the  powers  that  produced  them 
had  ceased  to  exist.  It  is  over  the  defaced  image 
of  the  divine  Author,  and  not  merely  the  mutilated 
resemblance  of  his  creatures,  that  the  wise  and 
virtuous  should  lament !  Wc  are  told  that  in  Rome 
there  were  as  many  statues  as  men :  had  all  these 
lamented  statues  been  preserved  would  the  world 
be  much  wiser  or  happier  ?  a  sufficient  number  re- 
main as  models  to  future  statuaries,  and  memorials 
of  departed  art  and  genius.  Wealth,  directed  by 
taste  and  liberality,  may  be  much  better  employed 
in  calling  forth,  by  due  encouragement,  that  genius 
which  doubtless  exists  among  our  cotemporaries, 
than  in  payijig  exorbitantly  the  vender  of  fragmpnty- 


n 


H6  MEMOIRS  OF 

<'  Mind,  miifd  alone,  bear  witness  earth  and  h'eaT'n ! 
;  The  living  foantains  in  itself  contains 

Of  beauteous  and  sablitne."  , 


,M      ! 


And  what  has  mind  achieved,  that,  in  a  favour- 
able conjuncture,  it  might  not  again  aspire  to  ?  Th^ 
k>st  alts  are  ever  the  theme  of  classical  lamenta- 
tion ;  but  the  great  and  real  evil  vras  the  loss  of 
the  virtues  which  protected  them ;  of  courage,  for- 
Citudet  honour,  and  patriotism ;  in  short,  of  the 
whole  mainly  character.  This  must  be  allowed, 
after  the  dreadful  tempest  of  subversion  was  over, 
to*  have  been  in  some  degree  restored  in  the  days 
of  chivalry :  and  it  is  equally  ceitain  that  the  vic- 
tors learnt  from  the  vanquished  many  of  the  arts 
that  support  life,  and  all  those  which  embellish  it. 
When  their  manners  were  softened  by  the  aid  of 
a  mild  and  charitable  religion,  this  blended  people 
assumed  that  undefined  power,  derived  from  su- 
perior valour  and  superior  wisdom^  which  has  so 
far  exalted  Europe  over  all  the  regions  of  the  earth. 
Thus,  where  a  bold  and  warlike  people  subdue  a 
voluptuous  and  effeminate  one,  the  result  is,  in 
due  time,  an  improvement  of  national  chai-actei*. 
In  similar  climes  and  circumstances  to  those  of 
the  primeval  nations  in  the  other  hemisjihere,  the 
case  has  been  very  diflTerent.  There,  too,  the  hun- 
ter, by  the  same  gradation  became  a  warrior;  but 
first  allured  by  the  friendship  which  sought  his 
protection ;  then  repelled  by  the  art  that  cdvcted 
and  encroached  on  his  territories ;  and  lastly  by  the 
avarice  that  taught  him  new  wants,  and  then  took 
ail  undue  advantage  of  them ;  they  neither  wished 
for  our  superfluities,  nor  envied  our  mode  of  life ; 
nor  did  our  encroachments  much  disturb  them,  as 
they  receded  Into  their  trackless  coverts  as  we  ap- 
proached from  the  coast.  But  though  they  scorn- 
ed our  refinements ;  and  though  our  government, 
and  all  the  enlightened  minds  amongst  us,  dealt 
candidly  and  generously  with  all  such  as  were  not 
set  on  by  our  enemies  to  injure  us,  the  blight  gf 


AN  AMERICAN  LADY. 


iir 


r'u! 


:  1 


\  favour- 
to?  The 
lamenta- 
?  loss  of 
•age,  for- 
:,  of  the 
allowed, 
was  over, 
the  days 
;  the  vic- 
the  arts 
bellish  it. 
lie  aid  of 
3d  people 
from  su- 
h  has  so 
:he  earth, 
subdue  a 
ult  is,  in 
rharacter. 
those  of 
here,  the 
the  hun- 
rior ;  but 
ught  his 
coveted 
tly  by  the 
len  took 
r  wished 
e  of  life ; 
them,  as 
as  we  ap- 
ey  scorn* 
ernment, 
us,  dealt 
were  not 
blight  <;tf 


^European  vices,  the  mere  consequence  of  private 
greediness  and  fraud,  proved  fatal  to  our  very  friends. 
As  I  formerly  observed,  the  nature  of  the  climate 
did  not  admit  of  the  warriors  passing  through  the 
mediumofashepherd's  life  to  the  toilsof  agriculture. 
The  climate,  though  extremely  warm  in  summer, 
was  so  severe  in  winter,  and  that  winter  was  so 
long,  that  it  required  no  little  labour  to  secure  the 
food  for  the  animals  which  were  to  be  maintained  ; 
und  no  small  expense  in  that  country  to  procure 
the  implements  necessary  for  the  purpose  of  ag- 
riculture. In  other  countries,  when  a  poor  man 
has  not  wherewithal  to  begin  farming,  he  serves 
another ;  and  the  reward  of  his  toil  enables  him  to 
set  up  for  himself.  No  such  resource  was  open  to 
the  Indians,  had  they  even  inclined  to  adopt  our 
modes.  No  Indian  ever  served  another,  or  receiv* 
cd  assistance  from  any  one  except  his  own  family. 
'Tis  inconceivable,  too,  What  a  different  kind  of 
exertion  of  strength  it  requires  to  cultivate  the 
ground,  and  to  endure  the  fatigues  of  the  chase, 
long  journeys.  Sec.  To  all  that  induces  us  to  labour 
they  were  indifferent.  When  a  governor  of  New-> 
York  was  describing  to  an  Indian  the  advantages 
that  some  one  would  derive  from  such  and  such 
possessions ;  "  Why,"  said  he,  with  evident  sur- 
prise, "  should  any  man  desire  to  possess  more  than 
he  uses  ?"  More  appeared  to  his  untutored  sense 
an  hicumbrance. 

I  have  already  observed  how  much  happier  they 
considered  their  manner  of  living  than  ours ;  yet 
their  intercourse  with  us  daily  diminished  their  in- 
rir:;.pndence,  t'.ieir  happiness,  and  even  their  num- 
uJiS.  In  the  new  world  this  fatality  has  never  fail- 
ed to  follow  the  introduction  of  European  settlers  ; 
who,  instead  of  civilizing  and  improving,  slowly 
consume  and  waste ;  where  they  do  not,  like  the 
Spaniards,  absolutely  destroy  and  exterminate  the 
natives.  The  very  nature  of  even  our  most  friend- 
ly mode  of  dealing  with  them  was  pernicious  to 


i 


us 


MEMOIRS  OF 


f .  k 


their  moral  welfare ;  which,  though  too  late,  they 
well  understood,  and  could  as  well  explain.  Untu- 
tored man,  in  beginning  to  depan  from  that  life  of 
exigencies,  in  which  the  superior  acuteness  of  his 
senses,  his  fleetness  and  dexterity  in  the  chase,  are 
his  chief  dependence,  loses  so  much  of  all  this  be- 
fore he  can  become  accustomed  to,  or  qualified  for 
our  mode  of  procuring  food  by  patient  labour,  that 
nothing  can  be  conceived  more  enfeebled  and  for- 
lorn than  the  state  of  the  few  detached  families  re- 
maining of  vsmished  tribes,  who  having  lost  their  en- 
ergy, and  even  the  wish  to  live  in  their  own  manner, 
were  slowly  and  reluctantly  beginning  to  adopt 
ours.  It  was  like  that  suspension  of  life  which 
takes  place  in  the  chrysalis  of  insects,  while  in  their 
progress  towards  a  new  state  of  being.  Alas  !  the 
indolence  with  which  we  reproach  them,  was  mere- 
ly the  consequence  of  their  commercial  intercourse 
with  us ;  and  the  fatal  passion  for  strong  liquors 
which  resulted  from  it.  As  the  fabled  enchanter, 
by  waving  his  magic  wand,  chains  up  at  once  the 
faculties  of  his  opponents,  and  renders  strength  and 
courage  useless;  the  most  wretched  and  sordid 
trader,  possessed  of  this  master-key  to  the  appe- 
tites and  passions  of  these  hard-fated  people,  could 
disarm  those  he  dealt  with  of  all  their  resources, 
and  render  them  dependentr— nay  dependent  on 
those  they  scorned  and  hated.  The  process  was 
simple  :  first,  the  power  of  sending,  by  mimic  thun- 
der, an  unseen  death  to  a  distant  foe,  which  filled 
the  softer  inhabitants  of  the  southern  regions  with 
so  much  terror,  was  here  merely  an  object  of  de- 
sire and  emulation ;  and  so  eagerly  did  they  adopt 
the  use  of  fire  arms,  that  they  soon  became  less  ex- 
pert in  using  their  own  missile  weapons.  They 
could  siill  throw  the  tomahawk  with  such  an  uner- 
ring aim,  that,  though  it  went  circling  through  the 
air  towards  its  object,  it  never  failed  to  reach  it.**- 
But  the  arrows,  on  which  they  had  formerly  so 
much  depended,  were  now  considered  merely  as 


AN   AMERICAN  LADY. 


119 


t 


the  weapons  of  boys,  and  only   directed  against 
birds. 

Thus  was  one  strong  link  forced  in  the  chain  of 
dependence  ;  next,  liquor  became  a  necessary,  and 
its  fatal  effec  ts  who  can  detail !  But  to  make  it  still 
clearer,  I  have  mentioned  the  passion  for  dress,  in 
which  all  the  pride  and  ranity  of  this  people  was 
centred.  In  former  days  this  had  the  best  effect, 
in  being  a  stimulus  to  industry.  The  provision  re- 
quisite for  making  a  splendid  appearance  at  the 
winter  meetings  for  hunting  and  the  national  con- 
gress, occupied  the  leisure  hours  of  the  whole  sum- 
mer. The  beaver  skins  of  the  last  year's  hunting 
were  to  be  accurately  dressed^  and  sewed  together, 
to  form  that  mantle  which  was  as  much  valued,  and 
us  necessary  to  their  consequence,  as  the  pelice  of 
sables  ta  that  of  an  Eastern  Bashaw.  A  deer  skin, 
or  that  of  a  bear,  or  beaver,  had  their  stated  price. 
The  boldest  and  most  expert  hunter  had  most  of 
these  commodities  to  spare,  and  was  therefore  most 
splendidly  arrayed.  If  be  had  a  rival,  it  was  in  him 
whose  dexterous  ingenuity  in  fabricating  the  mate- 
rials of  which  his  own  dress  was  composed,  enabled 
him  to  vie  with  the  hero  of  the  chase. 

Thus  superior  elegance  in  dress  was  not,  as  with 
us,  the  distinction  of  the  luxurious  and  effeminate, 
but  the  privilege  and  reward  of  superior  courage 
and  industry  ;  and  became  an  object  worthy  of  com- 
petition. Thus  employed,  and  thus  adorned,  the 
sachem  or  his  friends  found  little  time  to  indulge 
the  stupid  indolence  we  have  been  accustomed  to 
impute  to  them. 

Another  arduous  task  remains  uncalculated  :  be- 
tbre  they  became  dependent  on  us  for  tlie  means  of 
destruction,  much  time  was  consumed  in  forming 
their  weapons  j  in  the  construction  of  which  no  less 
patience  and  ingenuity  were  exercised  than  in  that 
of  their  ornaments  :  and  those  too  were  highly  em- 
bellished, and  made  with  great  labour  out  of  flintst 
pebbles,  and  shells.    But  all  this  system  of  employ- 


,'•?"' 


120 


MEMOIRS  OF 


'  I 


ment  was  soon  overturned  by  their  late  acquaint- 
ance with  the  insidious  arts  of  Europe  ;  to  the  use  , 
of  whose  manufactures  they  were  insensibly  drawn 
iu)  first  by  their  passion  for  Qre-arms,  and  finally  by 
their  fatal  appetite  for  liquor.  To  make  this  more 
clear,  I  shall  insert  a  dialogue,  such  as,  if  not  lite- 
rally, at  least  in  substance,  might  pass  betwixt  an 
Indian  warrior  and  9>  trader.   . 

•I'  '   fjr    =').M.{-v 


■^:■.)^   \i.■o^^.fhi  ;i"'  tr-.ir. 


:t 


>  '3 


•fi 

.ii:'' 


.» V   ■■■-■' 


U.f:^.     O     r--ri.'        CHAP.    XXV. 


i-'V:  ,;•  •'!!, 


■  ',:tlk    i^L  liii-ff  ii'J 


Means   by  Avhich  the  independence  of  the  Indians  was  first 

diminished. 

B'   '      f  (  ■    ■ 

ROTHER,  r  am  come  to  trade 
•with  you  ;  but  I  fore\varn  you  to  be  more  moderate 
in  your  demands  than  formerly.'* 

Trader.— ^^  Why,  brother,  are  not  my  goods  of 
equal  value  with  those  you  had  last  year  ?** 

Indian — ^'*  Perhaps  they  may  ;  but  mine  are  more 
valuable  because  more  scarce.  The  great  spirit 
who  has  withheld  from  you  strength  and  ability  to 
provide  food  and  clothing  for  yourselves,  has  given 
you  cunning  and  art  to  make  guns  and  provide 
scaura  ;*  and  by  speaking  smooth  words  to  simple 
men,  when  they  have  swallowed  madness,  you  have 
by  little  and  little  purchased  their  hunting  grounds, 
and  made  them  corn  lands.  Thus  the  beavers 
grow  more  scarce,  and  deer  flies  farther  back  ;  yet 
after  I  have  reserved  skins  for  my  mantle,  and  the 
clothing  of  my  wife,  I  will  exchange  the  rest." 

Trader. — "  Be  it  so,  brother :  I  came  not  to 
wrong  you,  or  take  your  furs  against  your  will.  It 
is  true  the  beavers  are  few,  and  you  go  further  for 

fOia.fif)  'J'  *•  Scaura  is  the  IndiuO  name  for  rum.   >»  i.e:».'i.Kic'q 


AN  AMERICAN  LAI^Y. 


121 


them.  Come,  brother,  let  us  deal  fair  first,  and 
smoke  friendly  afterwards.  Your  last  gun  cost  fif- 
ty beaver  skins ;  you  shall  have  this  for  forty ;  and 
you  shall  give  marten  and  racoon  skins  in  the 
same  proportion  for  powder  and  shot. 

Indian. — ^^  Well,  brother,  that  is  equal.  Now 
for  two  silver  bracelets,  with  long  pendent  ear- 
rings of  the  same,  such  as  you  sold  to  Cardarani  in 
the  sturgeon*  month  last  year,  how  much  will  you 
demand  ?" 

yrarfer.— "  The  skins  of  two  deer  for  the  brace- 
lets, and  those  of  two  fawns  for  the  ear-rings." 

Indian. — ^'*  That  is  a  great  deal;  but  wampum 
grows  scarce,  and  silver  never  rusts.  Here  arc 
the  skins." 

Trader. — "  Do  you  buy  any  more?  Here  are 
knives,  hatchets,  and  beads  of  ail  colours." 

Indian. — "  I  will  have  a  knife  and  a  hatchet ;  but 
must  not  take  more  ;  the  rest  of  the  skins  will  be 
little  enough  to  clothe  the  women  and  children,  and 
buy  wampum.  Your  beads  are  of  no  value,  no 
warrior  who  has  slain  a  wolf  will  wear  them."t 

Trader. — ^'  Here  are  many  things  good  for  you, 
which  you  have  not  skins  to  buy  ;  here  is  a  looking- 
glass,  and  here  is  a  brass  kettle,  in  which  your  wo- 
man may  boil  her  maize,  her  beans,  and  above  all 
her  maple  sugar.  Here  are  silver  broaches,  and 
here  ai^e  pistols  for  the  youths." 

Indian. — "  The  skins  1  can  spare  will  not  pur- 
chase them.'* 

r  Trader. — "Your  will  determines,  brother;  but 
next  year  you  will  want  nothing  but  powder  and 


*  The  Indians  appropriate  a  month  to  cat^hiish  or  animals, 
which  is  at  that  time  the  predominant  object  of  pursuit ;  as  the 
bear  month,  the  beaver  month,  &c. 

t  Indians  have  agreat  toatempt,  comparatively,  Tor  the  beads 
we  send  them ;  which  they  consider  as  only  fit  for  those  ple- 
beians wlio  cannot  by  their  exertions  win  any  better.  They  es- 
timate them  compared  with  their  own  wampum,  as  we  dv 
^arl3  compared  with  paste. 

M  '  ■     ' 


1  1<9 


'  MEMOIRS  OF 


shot,  having  already  purchased  your  gun  and  or- 
naments. ,  If  you  will  purchase  from  mc  a  blanket 
to  wrap  round  you,  a  shirt  and  blue  stroud  for  un- 
der garments  to  yourself  and  your  woman ;  and 
the  same  for  leggings,  this  will  puss  the  time,  and 
save  you  the  great  labour  of  dressing  the  skins, 
Tnaking  the  thread,  £cc.  for  you  clothing :  which 
will  give  you  more  fishing  and  shooting  time,  in 
the  sturgeon  and  bear  months.'* 

/w</*aw.— "  But  the  custom  of  my  fathers  l" 

Trader. — "  You  will  not  break  the  custom  of 
your  fathers,  by  being  thus  clad  for  a  smgle  year. 
They  did  not  refuse  those  things  which  were  never 
offered  to  them." 

Indian. — "  For  this  year,  brother,  I  will  ex- 
change my  skins ;  in  tlie  next  I  shall  provide  appa- 
rel more  befitting  a  warrior.  One  pack  alone  I 
will  reserve  to  dress  for  a  future  occasion.  The 
summer  must  not  find  a  warrior  idle." 

The  terms  being  adjusted  and  the  bargain  con- 
cluded, the  trader  thus  shows  his  gratitude  for 
liberal  dealing. 

Trader. — "  Corlaer  has  forbid  bringing  scaura  to 
steal  away  the  wisdom  of  the  warriors  ;  but  we 
white  men  are  weak  and  cold  ;  we  brings  kegs  for 
ourselves,  Ivst  death  arise  from  the  swamps.  We 
will  not  sell  scaura;  but  you  shall  taste  some  of 
ours  in  return  for  the  venison,  with  which  you  have 
feasted  us.'* 

Indian. — "  Brother,  we  will  drink  moderately.** 

A  bottle  was  then  given  to  the  warrior  by  way  of 
present,  which  he  was  advised  to  keep  long  ;  but 
found  it  irresistible.  He  soon  returned  with  the 
reserved  puck  of  skins,  earnestly  urging  the  trader 
to  give  him  beads,  silver  broaches,  and  above  all 
scaura,  to  their  full  amount.  This,  with  much  af- 
fected reluctance  at  parting  with  the  private  stock, 
was  at  last  yielded.  The  warriors  now,  after  giv- 
ing loose  for  a  ^\hile  to  frantic  mirth,  began  the 
war-whoop,   mactc   the   woods  resound  with  infu- 


AN  AMERICAN  LADY. 


123 


tiate  bowlings  ;  and  having*  exhausted  their  dear- 
bought  draught,  probably  dctc  luincd,  in  contempt 
of  that  probity  which  at  all  other  times  they  rigidly 
observed,  to  plunder  the  instrument  of  their  per- 
nicious gratification.     He,  well  aware  of  the  con- 
sequences, took   care  to  remove  himself  and  h\% 
goods  to  some  other  place ;  and  a  renewal  of  the 
same  scene  ensued.     Where,  all  this  time,  were 
the  women,  whose  gentle  councils  might  have  pre- 
vented these  excesses  ?  Alas  !  unrestrained  by  that 
delicacy  which  is  certainly  one  of  the  best  fruits 
of  refinement,  they  shared  in  them,  and  sunk  sooner 
under  them.     A  long   and  deep  sleep   generally 
succeeded  ;  from  which  they  awoke  in  a  state  of 
dejection  and  chagrin,  such  as  no  Indian  had  ever 
experienced  under  any  other  circumstance.     They 
felt  as  Milton  describes  Adam  and  Eve  to  have  done 
after  their  transgression.     Bxhausted  and  forlorn, 
and  stung  with  the  consciousness  of  error  and  de- 
pendence, they  had  neither  the  means  nor  the  de- 
sire of  exercising  their  wonted  summer  occupa- 
tions with  spirit.     Vacancy  produced  languor,  imd 
langi\or  made  them  again  wish  for  the  potion  which 
gave  temporary  cheerfulness.*     They  carried  tlieir 
fish  to  the  next  fort  or  habitation  to  barter  for  rum. 
This  brought  on  days  of  frenzy,  succeeded  by  tor- 
l)or.     When  again  roused  by  want  to  exertion,  they 
S..VV  the   season  passing  without  t^he  usual  provi- 
sion ;    and   by   an  effort   of  persevering  industry, 
tried  to  make   up  for  past  negligence  ;  and  then, 
worn  out  by  exertion,  sunk  into  supine  indolence, 
till  the  approach  of  winter  called  them  to  hunt  the 
bear ;  and  the  arri^^al  of  that,  (their  busy  season,) 
urged  on   their   distant   excursions  in  pursuit   of 
deer.     Then  they  resinned  their  wonted  character, 
and  became  what  they  used  to  be  ;  but  conscious 
that  acquired  tastes  and  wants,  which  they  had  lost 

*  From  Peter  Schuyler,  brother  to  the  Colonel,  I  have  hearcl 
inuny  such  details. 


/ 


124 


MEMOIRS  OF 


the  habit  of  suppling  themselves,  would  throw 
them  again  on  the  traders  for  clothing,  &c.  they 
were  themselves  out-straining  every  sinew  to  pro- 
cure enough  of  peltry  to  answer  their  purpose, 
and  to  gratify  their  newly  acquired  appetites.  Thus 
llie  energy,  both  of  their  characters  and  constitu- 
tions, was  gradually  undermined  ;  and  their  num- 
bers as  effectually  diminished,  as  if  they  had  been 
wasted  by  war. 

The  small-pox  was  also  so  fatal  to  them,  that 
whole  tribes  on  the  upper  lakes  have  been  entirely 
extinguished  by  it.  Those  people  being  in  the 
habit  of  using  all  possible  means  of  closing  the 
pores  of  the  skin,  by  painting  and  anointing  them- 
selves  with  bears'  greese,  to  defend  them  against 
the  extremity  of  cold,  to  which  their  manner 
of  life  exposed  them  *,  and  not  being  habitually 
subject  to  any  cutaneous  disease,  the  small-pox 
rarely  rises  upon  them  ;  from  which  it  may  be  un- 
derstood how  little  chance  they  had  of  recovering^ 
All  this  I  heard  aunt  Schuyler  relate,  whose  ob- 
servations and  reflections  I  merely  detail. 


CHAP.  XXVI. 


Peeoliar  Attractions  of  the  Indian  mode  of  life.— Account  of  « 
settler  who  resided  some  time  among  them. 

In  this  wild  liberty,  habits  of  probity,  mutual  con- 
fidence, and  constant  variety,  there  was  an  undefin- 
anble  charm,  that,  while  *hey  preserved  their  primi- 
tive manners,  wrought  in  every  one  who  dwelt  for 
any  time  amongst  them. 

I  have  often  heard  my  friend  speak  of  an  old  man 
who,  being  carried  away  in  his  infancy  by  some 
hostile  tribe  who  had  slain  his  parents,  was  rescued 


AN  AMERICAN  LADY. 


135 


very  soon  after  by  a  tribe  of  friendly  Indians,  who, 
from  motives  of  humanity*  resolved  to  bring  him 
up  among  themselves,  that  he  might,  in  their 
phrase,  "learn  to  bend  the  bow,  and  speak  truth." 
When  it  was  discovered,  some  years  after,  that  he 
wAi  still  living, his  relations  claimed  him;  and  the 
'community  wished  him  to  return  and  inherit 
his  father's  lands,  now  become  more  considerable. 
The  Indians  were  unwilling  to  p>ai"t  with  their  pro- 
tegee ;  and  he  was  still  more  reluctant  to  return. 
This >  was  contddered  as  a  bad  precedent ;  the  early 
settlers  having  foufid  it  convenient  in  several  things 
regarding  huntings  food,  &c.  to  assimilate,  in  some 
degree,  with  the  Indians ;  and  the  young  men  occa- 
sionally, at  that  early  period,  joining  their  hunting 
and  fishing  parties.  It  was  considered  as  a  matter 
of  serious  import  to  reclaim  this  young  alien  ;  lest 
others  should  be  lost  to  the  community  and  to  their 
religion  by  following  his  example.  With  difficulty 
they  forced  him  home ;  where  they  never  couid 
have  detained  him,  had  they  not  carefully  and  gra^ 
dually  inculcated  into  his  mind  the  truths  of  Chris- 
tianity. To  those  instructions  even  his  Indian  pre- 
dilections taught  him  to  listen ;  for  it  was  the  re- 
ligion of  his  fathers,  and  venerable  to  him  as  such  : 
still,  however,  his  dislike  of  our  manners  was  never 
entirely  conquered,  nor  was  his  attachment  to  hit 
foster  lathers  ever  much  diminished.  He  was  pos- 
sessed of  a  \-ery  sound  intellect,  and  used  to  declaim 
with  the  most  vehement  eloquence  against  our 
crafty  and  insidious  encroachments  on  our  old 
friends.  His  abhorrence  of  the  petty  falsehoods  to 
which  custom  has  too  well  reconciled  us,  and  those 
little  artifices  which  we  all  occasionally  practise, 
rose  to  a  height  fully  equal  to  that  felt  by  Gulliver. 
Swiftand  this  othftr  misanthrope,  though  they  lived 
at  the  same  time,  could  not  have  had  any  inter- 
course, else  one  might  have  supposed  the  invec- 
tives which  he  has  put  into  the  mouth  of  Gulliver, 
were  borrowed  from  this  dcmi-savage  j  whose  con- 

M  '2 


i\> 


!26 


MEMOIRS  OF 


tempt  and  hatred  of  selfishness,  meanness,  and  du 
plicity,  were  expressed  in  language  worthy  of  the 
dean.  Insomuch,  that  years  after  I  had  heardiof 
this  singular  character,  I  thought,  on  reading  Gul- 
liver's asperities  after  returning  from  HounyMi- 
hamland,  that  I  had  met  my  old  friend  again.  One 
really  does  meet  with  characters  that  fiction  would 
seem  too  bold  in  pourtraying.  This  original  had 
an  aversion  to  liquor,  which  amounted  to  abhor- 
rence ;  being  embittered  by  his  regret  at  the  mis- 
chiefs resulting  from  it  to  his  old  friends,  and  rage 
at  the  traders  for  administering  the  means  of  de- 
pravity. He  never  could  bear  any  seasoning  to  hie 
fojpd  ;  and  despised  luxury  in  all  its  forms. 

For  all  the  growing  evils  I  have  been  describing, 
there  was  only  one  remedy,  which  the  sagacity  of 
my  friend  and  her  other  self  soon  discov^^red ;  and 
their  humanity  as  well  as  principle  led  them  to  try 
all  possible  means  of  administering.  It  was  the 
pure  light  and  genial  influence  of  Christianity  alone 
that  could  cheer  and  ameliorate  the  state  of  these 
people,  now,  from  a  concurrence  of  circumstances 
scarcely  to  be  avoided  in  the  nature  of  things,  de- 
prived of  the  hidependence  habitual  to  their  own 
way  of  life,  without  acquiring  in  its  room  any  of 
those  comforts  which  sweeten  ours.  By  gradually 
and  gently  unfolding  to  them  the  views  of  a  happy 
futurity,  and  the  means  by  which  depraved  hu- 
manity was  restored  to  a  participation  of  that  bles- 
sing ;  pride,  revenge,  and  the  indulgence  of  every 
excess  of  passion  or  appetite  being  restrained  by 
the  precepts  of  a  religion  ever  powerful  where  it 
is  sincere ;  their  spirits  would  be  brought  down 
from  the  fierce  pride  which  despises  improvement 
to  adopt  such  of  our  modes,  as  would  enable  them 
to  incorporate  in  time  with  ouraociety,  and  pro- 
cure for  themselves  a  comfortable  subsistence,  in 
a  country  no  longer  adapted  to  supply  the  wants  of 
the  houseless  rangers  of  the  forest. 

The  narrow  polity  of  many  looked  coldly  on  this 


AN  AMERICAN  LADY. 


127 


,  and  du- 
ly of  the 
heardiof 
ing  Gul- 
[ounyWil- 
m.  One 
m  would 
;inal  had 
o  abhor- 
the  rais- 
and  rage 
IS  of  de- 
ng  to  his 

• 

scribing, 
gacity  of 
red;  and 
;m  to  try 
was  the 
lity  alone 
of  these 
instances 
mgs,  de- 
le ir  own 
any  of 
raduuUy 
a  happy 
ived  bu- 
rnt bles- 
of  every 
Liined  by 
where  it 
ht  down 
ovejment 
)le  them 
md  pro- 
cnce,  in 
wants  of 

y  on  this 


11 


benevolent  project.  Hunters  supplied-  the  means 
of  commerce,  and  warriors  those  of  defence  ;  and 
it  was  questionable  whether  a  chrisitianf  Indian 
would  hunt  or  fight  as <  well  as  formierly.  This, 
however,  had  no  power  with  those  in  whom  Chris- 
tianity was ;  any  thing  more  than  a  name.  There 
were  already  many  christian  Indians;  and  it  was 
very  encouraging,  that'  not  one,  once -converted, 
had  ever  forsaken  the  strict  profession  of  their  re- 
ligion, or  ever,  in  a  single  instance,  abancbned 
themselves  to  the  excesses  so  pernicious  to  their 
unconverted  brethren.  Never  was  the  true  spirit 
of  Christianity  more  exemplified  than  in  the  lives 
of  those  comparatively  few  converts,  who  about 
this  time  amounted  to  more  than  two  hundred. 
But  the  tender  care  and  example  of  the  Schuylers 
co-operating  with  the  incessant  labours  of  a  judi- 
cious and  truly  apostolic  missionai^,  some  years 
after  greatly  augmeiited  their  numbers  in  different 
parts  of  the  continent :  and  to  this  day,  the  memo« 
ry  of  David  BruLnard,  ith^  faithful  labour  ;r  alluded 
to,  is  held  in  veneration  in  those  districts  that  were 
blessed  with  his  ministry.  He  did  not  confine  it 
to  one  people  or  province,  <but 'travel led  from  place 
to  place  to  disseminate  the  gospel  to  new  converts, 
and  confirm  and  cherish  the  truth  already  planted. 
The  first  foundation  of  that  church  had,  however, 
as  I  formerly  mentioned,  been  l«id  long  ago:  and 
the  examples  of  piety,  pnbbity^  and  benevolence 
set  by  the  worthies  at  the  Flats,  and  a  few  more, 
were  a  very  necessary  obmrhtirt  on  the  doctrines 
t6  which  their  assent  was  desired.      •  >^')i 

The  great  stumbling  block  which  the  missiona- 
ries had  to  encounter  with  the  Indians,  (who  as  far 
as  their  knowledge  went,  argued  with  great  acute- 
ness  and  logical  precision,)  was  the  small  influ* 
cnce  which  our  religion  seemed  to  have  over  many 
of  its  prbfessors.  "  Why,"  said  they^  "  if  the  book 
"  of  truth,  that  shows  the  way  to  happiness,  and 
'^  bids  all  men  do  justice,  and  love  one  another,  is 


\ 


128 


n    MEMOIRS  OF 


**  given  boA  to  Corlaer  and  Onnonthio*,  does  it 
"  not  direct  them  both  in  the  same  way  ?  Why  does 
"  Ormonthto '  worshipv  and  Corlaer  neglect,  the 
*<  nlOthef  lof  the  blessed  one  ?  And  whv  do  the  mis- 
"  sionaries  blame  those  for  worshipping  things 
**made  with  handsvtvhile  the  priests  tell  tAieipray- 
**  ing  nationt,  that  Corlaer  and.  his  people  have  for- 
•*  saken  the  wiorship  of  his'  forefathers:  besides, 
"  how  can  people,  who  believe  that  God  and  ^ood 
♦'  sp^rit3  view  and  take  an  interest  in  ail  their  ac- 
"  tions,  cheat  and  dissemble,  drink  and  fight,  quar- 
"  rcl  and  backbite,  if  they  believe  the  great  fire 
"  bums  for  those  who  do  such  things.  -  If  we  be- 
"  lieved  what  you  say,  wc  should  not  exchange  so 
"  much  good  for  wickednesb,  to  please  an  evil 
"  spirit  who  would  re joire  atrour  destruction.**.  '*  .'  . 
To  tliis  reasoning  it  was  inot  eksy  to  oppose  any 
thing  that  would  carry  conviction  to  untutored 
people,  who  spoke  fron^  observation  and  the  evi- 
dence of  the  senses;  to  which  could  only  be  op- 
posed scripture  texts,  which  avail  not  till  they  are 
believed;  and  abstract  reasoning,  extremely  dif- 
ficult to  bring  to  the  level  of  an  unlearned  under- 
standing. Great  labour,  and  perseverance  wrought 
on  the  minds  of  a  few,  m^o  felt  conviction,  as  iar 
as  it  is  to  be  ascrirbod  to  fanaimin  agency  flow  from 
the  afi'ectiontite  persuasion  of  those  whom  they 
visibly  beheld  e»rnost<for  their  eternal  welf*!*.'; 
and  when  a  few  had  thus  yielded^,  the  peace  and 

•  Corlacr  w««  Ute  title  mven  by.tltqm  to  the  goveroor  of  New- 
York  :  niid  was  figurativelj  uBCti  for  the  {jQvcracd,  and.  Onnoj)- 
thio  for  those  of  C'annda  in  llid  same  manner. 

t  Praying  nation  was  a  name  given  to  a  village  of  Indiahs  near 
Montreal,  who  profesaed  the  catholic  faith. 

I  Some  ofiheni  have  nuule  such  a  protujicncj  inpractiual  rc- 
lijpon  as  ouj^lit  to  shame  many  of  Us,  who  boust  thp  dlunkinatiitg 
Aids  of  our  luttivu  chriBtiHiiity.  Not  one  of  thci»c  Indians  ha* 
been  c(Mieerned  io  those  Iwrbarous  eruptions  w-hivh'fldU|B;ed 
the  frontiers  of  our  south-western  provinccn  with  tli/^  14ot»d  «!' 
so  miuiy  Innocents,  of  every  aj{c  and  hca.  At  the, commence- 
ment of  these  ravages,  thcv  flew  info  the  settlements,  hitd  i»ut 
thcrawjlTen  into  the  pi-oteeUon  ©f  gOTernmcnt.    The  Indians  ri^ 


AN  AMERICAN  LADY. 


!39 


purity  of  their  lives,  and  the  sublime  enjoyment 
they  seemed  to  derive  from  the  prospects  their  faith 
opened  into  futurity,  was  an  inducement  to  others 
to  follow  the  same  path.  This,  abstractedly  from 
religious  considerations  of  endless  futurity,  is  the 
true  and  only  way  to  civilization  ;  and  to  the  blend- 
ing together  the  old  and  new  inhabitants  of  these 
regions.  National  pride,  rooted  prejudices,  fero- 
city and  vindictive  hatred,  all  yield  before  a  change 
that  new-moulds  the  whole  soul,  and  furnishes 
man  with  new  fears  and  hopes,  and  new  motives 
for  action. 


> 


CHAP.  XXVII. 


Qtliahs  near 


ludians  onljjr  to  be  attached  by  being  converted. — The  abortive 
expedition  of  Mens.  Barre.^— Ironical  sketch  of  an  Indian. 

U  PON  the  attachment  the  Indians  had  to  our  re- 
ligion was  grafted  the  strongest  regard  to  our  go- 
vernment, and  the  greatest  fidelity  to  the  treaties 
made  with  vis.  I  shall  insert  a  specimen  of  Indian 
eloquence,  illustrative  of  this  last ;  not  that  I  con- 
sider it  by  any  means  so  rich,  impressive,  or  sub- 
lime as  many  others  that  I  could  quote,  but  as  con- 
taining a  figure  of  speech  rarely  to  be  met  with 
among  savage  people,  and  supposed  by  us  incom- 
patible with  the  state  of  intellectual  advancement 
to  which  they  have  attained.  I  mean  a  fine  and 
well  supported  irony.  About  the  year  1696,  Mons. 
Barre,  the  commander  of  the  French  forces  in  Ca- 
nada, mude  a  kind  of  inroad,  with  a  warlike  design, 
into  the  precincts  claimed  by  our  Mohawk  allies; 


sooner  became  christians,  than  they  openly  professed  their  loy- 
alty to  King  Cjeorgu ;  and  therefore,  to  contribute  to  their  con- 
rcrsion  v/ynt  as  truly  politio  asaobly  ohrtatiaD. 


130 


MEMOIRS  OF 


the  march  was  tedious,  the  French  fell  sick,  and 
many  of  theif  Indians  deserted  them.  The  wily 
commander,  findinj^  himself  unequal  to  the  medita- 
ted attack,  and  that  it  would  be  unsafe  to  return 
through  the  lakes  and  woods,  while  in  hourly  dan- 
ger of  meeting  enemies  so  justly  provoked,  sent  to 
invite  the  sachems  to  a  friendly  conference :  and, 
when  tlicy  met,  asserted,  in  an  artful  speech,  that  he 
and  his  troops  had  come  with  the  sole  intention  of 
settling  old  grievances,  and  smoking  the  calumet  of 
peace  with  them.  The  Indians,  not  imposed  on 
by  such  pretences,  listened  patiently  to  his  speech, 
and  then  made  the  answer  which  the  reader  will 
,  find  in  the  notes.*     It  is  to  be  observed,  that  who- 


iuer. 


*  "  Onnonthio,  I  honour  you  ;  and  all  the  warriors  that  are 
■with  rae  likewise  honour  you.  Your  interpieter  has  finished 
his  speech,  I  begin  mine.  My  words  make  haste  to  reach  vour 
v..ia;  hoarken  to  thera,  Yonnondio.  You  nmst  have  believed, 
when  you  left  Quebec,  that  tlfe  sun  had  huritt  up  all  the  forests 
which  ma«le  our  coiuitry  so  inaccessible  to  the  French  ;  or  '.lint 
the  lakes  had  »o  fsu*  overflowed  their  banks,  that  ihey  had  sui-- 
rounded  our  castles,  and  that  it  was  impossili'e  for  us  to  get  <  ut 
of  them.  Yes,  Yonnon<Iio,  surely  you  fiavi>  dreamt  so  ;  and  the 
ctiriosity  of  seeing  so  great  a  wonder  has  bi'ouglit  yon  so  far.— 
Now  you  are  undeceived, since  I  and  the  warri'.rs  bcre  present 
are  come  to  assure  you,  that  the  Hurnns,  Onondagnes,  .  nd  Mo- 
haws  are  yet  alive.  1  thank  you  in  their  name  for  bringing 
hack  into  their  country  the  cahmiet,  Avhich  your  pr^'deci  shor 
receive«l  from  their  liands.  It  vas  happy  for  you  tbat  30U  Icl't 
imder  grouml  tbat  murdering  hatihet,  ^,  hiili  has  bern  so  often 
dyed  with  the  blood  of  the  French.  Hoar,  Onnontlii ),  I  do  uoi 
sloe])  ;  I  have  my  eyes  open  ;  and  the  sun  tbat  eniigiitenb  nie 
disco\ers  to  me  :t  groiit  ('a])l!,in,  at  tlie  hiiul  cf  bis  soldiery,  who 
speaks  MS  if  he  were  droaiuing.  lie  s!t>H  tiiat  be  only  came  to 
the  lake  to  smoke  otit  of  the  great  caliimot  with  the  V"t\c  ISu- 
lions  ;  but  Connaratego  savs  tb;,t  lie  sees  tbe  contrary  ;  tlijit  il. 
was  to  knock  thorn  on  tbe  bead,  if  sickness  had  not  weakeiiod 
the  arms  of  (be  Froncb.  1  see  Onmmlbio  raving  in  a  camp  iii 
sick  men,  wliose  li\estlie  great  spirit  liati  saved  by  inflicting  tliis 
sickness  upon  thorn.  Hear,  Onnonlliio,  rur  women  had  takon 
thoir  clubs;  our  iduldren  and  (dd  men  had  carried  their  bdws 
and  arrows  intotlu'  heart  of  your  c:imp,  if  our  warriors  had  nin 
disarmed  them,  ami  kept  tbom  back,  when  your  messengoi- 
came  to  our  castles.  It  is  done,  and  1  bave  said  it.  Hear,  Ymi- 
noinlio,  we  plundered  none  oil  the  French,  but  those  m  ho  carried 
guns,  powder,  and  ball  to  tlie  wolf  and  oik  tribes,  because  iboso 
arms  might  have  cost  us  our  livei!.    Herein  we  follow  the  exam- 


lligs, 


>^ 


AN  AMERICAN  LADY. 


131 


ever  they  considered  as  the  ruling  person  for  the 
time  being  in  Canada,  they  styled  Onnonthio ;  while 
the  governor  of  New-York  they  always  culled  Cor- 
hier.  '^"^     •   -     '    •  '>•••■  '■'■■■  • 

Twice  in  the'y^ar  the  new  converts  came  to  Al- 
bany to  partake  of  the  sacrament,  before  a  place  of 
worship  was  erected  for  themselves.  They  always 
spent  the  night,  or  oftener  two  nights,  before  their 
joining  in  this  holy  rite  at  the  Flats  :  which  was  their 
general  rendezvous  from  different  quarters.  There 
they  were  cordially  received  by  the  three  brothers, 
who  always  met  together  at  this  time  to  have  a  con- 
ference with  them  on  subjects  the  most  important 
to  their  present  and  future  welfare.  These  devout 
Indians  seemed  ail  impressed  with  the  same  feel- 
ings, and  moved  by  the  same  spirit.     They  were 


pie  of  the  .Tesuits,  who  stave  all  the  kegs  of  mm  brought  to  the 
castles  where  they  are,  lest  the  (rruiikeu  Indians  should  kiiock 
them  on  the  head.  Our  wari'iors  havu  not  beavers  enoi.»h  to 
pu}  for  all  those  arms  that  they  have  taken ;  and  our. old  men 
are  not  afraid  of  the  war.  This  belt  preserves  my  words.  We 
carried  the  English  into  our  lakes,  to  trade  with  the  wolfand 
elk  tribes,  as  the  j)raying  Indians  brouglit  the  French  to  our 
castles,  to  carry  on  a  trade,  which  the  Engiisli  say  is  theirs.— 
We  are  born  Iree.  We  neither  depend  on  Onnonthio  nor  Cor- 
laer ;  we  may  go  where  we  please.  If  your  allies  be  your  slaves, 
use  them  as  such  ;  command  them  to  receive  no  other  but  your 
people.  This  bult  preserves  my  words.  We  knocked  the 
Connecticut  Indians  and  their  confederates  on  the  head  because 
they  had  cut  down  the  trees  of  peace,  which  were  the  limits  of 
our  country.  They  hud  bunted  beavers  on  our  lands,  contrary 
to  the  cust')ms  of  all  Indiitns,  for  they  have  left  none  alive. — 
They  have  killed  hoth  male  and  female.  They  brought  the 
Sathanas  inl')  (mr  country  to  take  part  with  them,  after  they 
hud  formed  ill  designs  against  us  ;  we  have  done  less  than  they 
nurited. 

"  Hear,  once  more,  the  words  of  the  Five  Nations.  They 
say  that  when  they  buried  the  hatchet  at  Cardaragni,  (in  the 
presence  of  your  predecessor,)  in  the  middle  of  the  fort,*  the} 
\)laiitcd  the  tree  of  peace  in  the  same  place,  to  be  there  careful- 
Iv  |)rcserved  ;  that  instead  of  an  abode  for  soldiers,  tliat  fort 
7uight  be  a  rendezvous  for  merchants  ;  that  in  place  of  arms  and 
ainiiuiuition,  Old)  peltry  and  gooils  should  enter  liiere.        ,..    ,. 


Detroit. 


132 


MEMOIRS  OF 


received  with  affectionate  cordiality,  and  accommo- 
dated in  a  manner  quite  conformable  to  their  habits, 
in  the  passage,  porch,  and  offices ;  and  so  deeply 
impressed  were  they  with  y.  sense  of  the  awful  du- 
ty that  brought  them  there,  and  the  rights  of  friend- 
ship and  hospitality,  and  at  this  period  become  so 
much  acquainted  with  our  customs,  that  though  two 
hundred  communicants,  followed  by  many  of  their 
children,  were  used  to  assemble  on  these  occasions, 
the  smallest  instance  of  riot  or  impropriety  was  not 
known  amongst  them.  They  brought  little  pre- 
sents of  game,  or  of  their  curious  handicrafts,  and 
were  liberally  and  kindly  entertained  by  their  good 
brother  Philip,  as  they  familiarly  called  him.  In 
the  evening  they  all  went  apart  to  secret  prayer ; 


**  Hear,  Yonnondio,  take  care  for  the  future  tliat  so  great  ft 
number  of  soldiers  as  appear  there  do  not  choke  the  tree  of 
peace,  planted  in.  so  small  a  fort.  It  will  be  a  ^eat  loss  after 
having  so  easily  taken  root,  if  you  should  stop  its  growth,  and 

frevent  its  covering  your  country  and  ours  with  its  branches, 
assure  you,  in  the  name  of  the  Five  Nations,  that  our  war- 
riors shall  dance  to  the  calumet  of  peace  under  its  leaves,  and 
shall  remain  quiet  on  their  mats ;  and  that  they  shall  never  dig 
up  the  hatchet  till  Corlaer  or  Onnonthio,  either  jointly  or  sepa- 
rately, attack  the  country,  which  the  great  spirit  hath  given  to 
our  ancestors.  This  belt  preserves  my  words,  and  this  other 
the  authority  which  the  Five  Nations  have  given  me."  Then,. 
Garang^lo,  addressing  himself  to  Mons.  de  Main,  who  under- 
stoml  his  language,  and  interpreted,  spoke  thus :  **  Take 
courage,  friend,  vou  have  spirits ;  speak,  explain  my  words, 
omit  nothing,  'fell  all  that  your  brethren  and  friends  say  to 
Onnonthio,  your  governor,  by  the  mouth  of  Garangula,— who 
loves  you,  and  desires  you  to  accept  of  this  present  of  beaver, 
and  take  part  with  me  in  my  feast,  to  which  I  invite  you.  This 
present  ot  beaver  is  sent  to  Yonnondio  on  the  part  of  the  Five 
Nations." 

INIons.  Barre  returned  to  his  fort  much  enraged  at  what  he 
had  heard ;  Ciaraiigula  feasted  the  French  officers,  and  then 
went  home  ;  and  Mons.  Barre  set  out  on  his  way  towanls  Mon- 
treal ;  and  as  soon  as  the  general,  with  the  few  sf)ldiers  that  re- 
mained in  health,  had  embarked,  the  militia  made  their  way  to 
their  own  habitations  without  order  or  discipline.  Thus  a 
chargeable  and  fatiguing  expedition,  meant  to  strike  the  terror 
of  the  French  name  into  the  stubborn  hearts  of  the  Five  Na- 
tions, ended  in  a  scold  between  a  French  general  and  au  old  In' 
diaii.— Co/<fc«'*  History  of  the  Five  A'ationSf  page  68. 


AN  AMERICAN  LADY. 


13: 


and  in  the  morning,  by  dawn  of  day,  they  assembled 
before  the  portico ;  and  their  entertainers,  who  rose 
early  to  enjoy,  unobserved,  a  view  of  their  social 
devotion,  beheld  them  with  their  mantles  drawn 
over  their  heads,  prostrate  on  the  earth,  offering 
praises  and  fervent  supplications  to  their  Maker. 
After  some  time  spent  in  this  manner  they  arose, 
and  seated  in  a  circle  on  the  ground,  with  their 
heads  veiled  as  fomierly,  they  sang  an  hymn,  which 
it  was  delightful  to  hear,  from  the  strength,  rich- 
ness, and  sweet  accord  of  their  uncommonly  fine 
voices ;  which  every  one  that  ever  heard  this  sa- 
cred chorus,  however  indifferent  to  the  purport  of 
it,  praised  as  incomparable.  The  voices  of  the  fe- 
male Indians  are  particularly  sweet  and  powerful. 
I  have  often  heard  my  friend  dwell  with  singular 
pleasure  on  the  recollection  of  those  scenes,  and 
of  the  conversations  she  and  the  colonel  used  to 
hold  with  the  Indians,  whom  she  described  as  pos- 
sessed of  very  superior  powers  of  understanding ; 
and  in  their  religious  views  and  conversations,  uni- 
ting the  ardour  of  proselytes  with  the  firm  decision 
and  inflexible  steadiness  of  their  national  character. 
It  was  on  tlie  return  of  those  new  christians  to  the 
Flats,  after  they  had  thus  solemnly  sealed  their  pro- 
fession, that  these  wise  regulations  for  preserving 
peace  and  good  will  between  the  settlers  (now  be- 
come confident  and  careless  from  their  numbers) 
and  the  Indians,  jealous  with  reason  of  their  ancient 
rites,  were  concluded.       .       rij  »-    :• 


i^hat  he 
(I  then 
3  Mon- 
hat  rc- 
way  ta 
""hus  a 
terror 
ve  Na- 
old  In- 


-;,-..  ,^•H 


i , 


P  ,: 


.  I 


>  '  ". 


lU 


MEMOIRS  OF 


CHAP.  XXVIII. 


Management  of  the  Mohawks  by  the  Influence  of  tltc  Christian 

Indians.    .  ,  .  ,v 


i  I 


Ti 


HE  influence  these  converts  had  obtained  over 
the  minds  of  those  most  venerated  for  wisdom 
among  their  countrymen,  was  the  medium  throuf^h 
which  this  patriot  family,  in  some  degree,  control- 
led the  opinions  of  that  community  at  large,  and 
kept  them  faithful  to  the  British  interests.  Every 
two  or  three  years  there  was  a  congress  held,  by 
deputies  from  New-York,  who  generally  spoke  to 
I  he  Indian^  by  an  interpreter ;  went  through  the 
form  of  delivering  presents  from  their  brother  the 
great  king,  redressing  petty  grievances,  smoking 
the  calumet  of  peace,  and  delivering  belts,  the 
pledges  of  amity.  But  these  were  mere  public 
forms  ;  the  real  terms  of  this  often  renewed  amity 
having  been  previously  digested  by  those  who  far 
l)etter  understood  the  relations  subsisting  between 
the  contracting  parties,  and  the  causes  most  likely 
to  interrupt  their  union.  Colonel  Schuyler,  though 
always  ready  to  serve  his  country  in  exigencies, 
did  not  like  to  take  upon  himself  any  permanent 
responsibility,  as  a  superintendant  of  Indian  affairs, 
as  it  might  have  diminished  that  private  influence 
which  arose  from  the  general  venerution  for  his 
character,  and  from  a  conviction  that  the  concern 
he  took  was  voluntary  and  impartial ;  neither  did 
he  choose  to  sacrifice  that  domestic  peace  and  lei- 
sure, which  he  so  well  knew  how  to  turn  to  the 
best  account,  being  convinced  that  by  his  example 
ur.d  influence,  as  a  private  gentleman,  he  had  it  in 
his  power  to  do  much  good  of  a  peculiar  kind, 
which  was  incompatible  with  the  weight  and  bustle 
of  public  aflairs,  or  with  that  hospitality  which,  as 
they  managed  it,  was  productive  of  so  uiiuiy  bene- 


AN  AMERICAN  LADY 


135 


ficial  effects.  I  have  already  shown  how,  by  pru- 
dent address  and  kind  conciliation,  this  patriotic 
pair  soothed  and  attached  the  Indians  to  the  Bri- 
tish interest.  As  the  country  grew  more  populous, 
nnd  property  mrrc  abundant  and  more  secure,  the 
face  of  society  in  this  inland  region  began  to 
change.  They  whose  quiet  and  orderly  demeanour, 
devotion,  and  integrity  did  not  much  require  tlie 
enforcement  of  laws,  began  now  to  think  themselves 
above  them.  To  a  deputed  authority,  the  source 
of  which  lay  beyond  the  Atlantic,  they  paid  little 
deference  ;  and  from  their  neighbours  of  New- 
Hampshire  and  Connecticut,  who  bordered  on  their 
frontiers,  and  served  with  them  in  the  colonial  wars, 
they  had  little  to  learn  of  loyalty  or  submission. 
Those  people  they  held  in  great  contempt,  both  as 
soldiers  and  statesmen;  and  yet,  from  their  fre- 
quent intercourse  with  those  who  talked  of  law  and 
politics  in  their  peculiar  uncouth  dialect  incessant- 
ly, they  insensibly  adopted  many  of  their  notions. 
There  is  a  certain  point  of  stable  happiness  at 
which  our  imperfect  nature  merely  seems  to  ar- 
rive ;  for  the  very  materials  of  which  it  is  formed 
contain  the  seeds  of  its  destruction.  This  was  the 
case  here  :  that  peaceful  and  desirable  equa.'ity  of 
conditions,  from  which  so  many  comforts  resulted, 
in  process  of  time  occasioned  an  aversion  to  supe- 
riors, to  whom  thfy  wer6  not  accustomed,  and  an 
exaggerated  jealousy  pf  the  power  which  was  ex- 
ercised for  their  own  safety  and  comfort.  Their 
rnanaers  unsophisticated,  and  their  morals  in  a 
grc.it  measure  uncorruptcd,  led  them  to  regard 
with  unjustifiable  scorn  and  aversion  those  stran- 
gers who  brought  with  them  the  manners  of  more 
polished,  though  less  pure,  communities.  Proud 
of  their  haughty  bluntncss,  which  daily  increased 
with  their  wealth  and  security,  they  began  to  con- 
sider respectful  and  polite  behaviour  as  a  degree  of 
servility  and  duplicity  ;  while  they  revolted  at  the 
power  exercised  over  themselves,  and  very  reluc- 


ISfe 


MEMOIRS  OF 


tantly  made  the  exertions  necessary  for  their  dwn 
protection,  they  showed  every  inclination  to  usurp 
the  territories  of  their  Indian  allies ;  and  use  to  the 
very  utmost  the  power  they  had  acquired  over 
them,  by  supplying  their  wants. 

At  the  liberal  table  of  aunt  Schuyler,  where 
there  was  always  intelligence,  just  notions,  and 
good  breeding  to  be  met  with,  both  among  the  own- 
ers and  their  guests,  many  had  their  prejudices 
softened  down,  their  minds  enlarged,  and  their 
manners  improved.  There  they  met  British  offi- 
cers of  rank  and  merit,  and  persons  in  authority ; 
and  learnt  that  the  former  were  not  artificial  cox- 
eombs,  nor  the  latter  petty  tyrants,  as  they  would 
othei'wise  be  very  apt  to  imagine.  Here  they  were 
accustomed  to  find  authority  respected  on  the  one 
hand,  and  on  the  other  to  see  the  natural  rights  of 
man  vindicated,  and  the  utmost  abhorrence  expres- 
sed of  all  the  sophistry  by  which  the  credulous 
were  misled  by  the  crafty,  to  have  a  code  of  mora- 
lity for  their  treatment  of  heatheiis,  different  from 
that  which  directed  them  in  their  dealing  with 
christians.  Here  a  selection  of  the  best  and  wor- 
thiest, of  the  different  characters  and  classes  we 
have  been  describing,  met;  and  were  taught,  not 
only  to  tolerate,  but  to  esteem  each  other;  and  it 
required  the  calm,  temperate  wisdom,  and  easy 
versatile  manners  of  my  friend  tT bring  this  about. 
It  is,  when  they  are  called  to  act  in  a  new  scene, 
•and  among  people  diff'erent  from  any  they  had 
known  or  imagined,  that  the  folly  of  the  wise  and 
the  weakness  of  the  strong  become  discernable. 

Many  officers  justly  esteemed,  possessed  of  ca- 
pacity, learning,  and  much  knowledge,  both  of  the 
usages  of  the  world,  and  the  art  of  war,  from  the 
want  of  certain  habitudes,  which  nothing  but  ex- 
perience can  teach,  were  disqualified  for  the  warfare 
of  the  woods ;  and  from  a  secret  contempt  with 
which  they  regarded  the  blunt  simplicity  and  plain 
appearance  of  the  settlers,  were  not  amenable  to 


V 


AN  AMERICAN  LADY. 


isr 


their  advice  on  these  points.     They  were  not  aware 
how  much  they  were  to  depend  on  them  for  the 
means  of  carrying  on  their  operations  ;  and  by  rude 
or  negligent  treatment  so  disgusted  them,  that 
they   withheld    the    horses,  oxen,    waggons.   Sec. 
which  were  to  be  paid  for,  merely  to  show  their  in- 
dependence ;  well  knowing  the  dreaded  and  detest- 
ed military  power,  even  if  coercive  measures  were 
resorted  to,   would  have  no  chance  for  redress  in 
their  courts;  and  even  the  civil  authority  were 
cautious  of  doing  any  thing  so  unpopular  as  to  de- 
cide in  favour  of  the  military.     Thus,  till  properly 
instructed,  those  bewildered  strangers  were  apt  to 
do  the  thing  of  all  others  that  annihilates  a  feeble 
authority ;  threaten  where  they  could  not  strike, 
and  forfeit  respect  where  they  could  not  enforce 
obedience  :  a  failure  of  this  kind  clogged  ar*d  en- 
feebled all  their  measures  ;  for  without  the  hearty 
co-operation  of  the  inhabitants  in  furnishing  pi*e- 
requisites,  nothing  could  go  on  in  a  country  with- 
out roads,  or  public  vehicles,  for  the  conveyance 
of  their  warlike  stores.     Another  rock  they  were 
apt  to  run   upon  was,  a  neglect  of  the  Indians, 
whom  they  neither  sufficiently  feared  as  enemies, 
nor  valued  as  friends  :  till  taught  to  do  so  by  ma- 
turer  judgments.     Of  this,  Braddock's  defeat  was 
an  instance ;  he  was  brave,  experienced,  and  versed 
in  all  military  science ;  his  confidence  in  which,  oc- 
casioned the  destruction  of  himself  and  his  army. 
He  considered  those  counsels  that  warned  him, 
how  little  mancEUvreS'Or  numbers  would  avail  in 
the  close  prison  of  innumerable  boughs,  as  the  re- 
sult of  feeble  caution :  and  marched  his  army  to 
certain  ruin,  in  the  most  brave  and  scientific  man- 
ner imaginable.     Upon  certain  occasions  there  is 
no  knowledge  so  valuable  as  tliat  of  our  own  igno- 
rance. .   r  ".  «  ;>     =i3ri    '»  * 
At  the  Flats,  the  self-righted  boor  learned  civi- 
lization and  subordination :  the  high  bred  and  high 
spirited  field  oiHcer  gentleness,  accommodation, 

N  2 


il 


t! 


136 


MEMOIRS  OF 


and  respect  for  unpolished  worth  and  untaught 
valou**  There,  too,  the  shrewd  and  deeply  reflect- 
ing In  ian  learnt  to  respect  the  British  character, 
and  to  c  Dnfide  in  that  of  the  settlers  ;  by  seeing  the 
best  specimens  of  both  acting  candidly  towards 
each  other,  and  generously  to  himself. 

My  friend  was  most  particularly  calculated  to  be 
the  coadjutor  of  her  excellent  consort,  in  thus  sub- 
duing the  spirits  of  different  classes  of  people, 
strongly  disposed  to  entertain  a  repulsive  dislike  of 
each  other  ;  and  by  leading  them  to  the  chastened 
enjoyment  of  the  same  social  pleasure,  under  the 
auspices  of  those,  whose  good  will  they  were  all 
equally  convinced  of,  she  contrived  to  smooth 
down  asperities,  and  assimilate  those  various  char- 
acters, in  a  manner  that  could  not  be  done  by  any 
other  means. 

Accustomed  from  childhood,  both  fi  om  the  ge- 
neral state  of  society,  and  the  enlarged  minds  of 
her  particular  associates,  to  take  liberal  views  of 
every  thing,  and  to  look  forward  on  all  occasions  to 
consequences,  she  steadily  followed  her  wise  and 
benevolent  purposes,  without  being  attracted  by 
petty  gratifications,  or  repelled  by  petty  disgusts. 
Neither  influenced  by  female  vanity,  or  female  fas- 
tidiousness, she  might  veiy  truly  say  of  popularity, 
as  Falstafl*  says  of  Worcester's  rebellion,  "  it  lay  in 
her  way  and  she  found  it :"  for  no  one  ever  took 
less  pums  to  obtain  it ;  and  if  the  weight  of  solid 
usefulness  and  beneficence  had  not,  as  it  never  fails 
to  do  in  the  long  run,  forced  approbation,  her  mode 
of  conducting  herself,  though  it  might  greatly  en- 
dear her  to  her  particular  associates,  was  not  con- 
ciliating to  common  minds.  The  fact  was,  that, 
though  her  benevolence  extended  through  the 
whole  circle  of -those  to  whom  she  was  known,  she 
liad  too  many  objects  of  importance  in  view  to 
squander  time  upon  imbecility  and  insi^jnificance. 
Nor  could  she  find  leisure  fur  the  routine  of  ordi- 


AN  AMERICAN  LADY. 


139 


nary  visits,  or  inclination  for  the  insipidity  of  ordi- 
nary chit-chat. 

If  people  of  the  decription  here  alluded  to, 
could  forward  any  plan  advantageous  to  the  public, 
or  to  any  of  those  persons  in  whom  she  was  parti- 
cularly interested,  she  would  treat  them  occasion- 
ally with  much  civility :  for  she  had  all  the  power 
of  superior  intellect  without  the  pride  of  it ;  but 
could  not  submit  to  a  perpetual  sacrifice  to  forms 
and  trifles.  This,  in  her,  was  not  only  justifiable, 
but  laudable ;  yet  it  is  not  mentioned  as  an  exam- 
ple, because  a  case  can  very  rarely  occur,  where 
the  benefit  resulting  to  others,  from  making  one's 
own  path,  and  forsaking  the  ordinary  road,  can  be 
so  essential ;  few  ever  can  have  a  sphere  of  action 
so  peculiar  or  so  important  us  her's ;  and  very  few 
indeed  have  so  sound  a  judgment  to  direct  them  in 
choosing,  or  so  much  fortitude  to  support  them  in 
pursuing,  a  way  of  their  own. 

In  ordinary  matters,  where  neither  religion  nor 
morality  is  concerned,  it  is  much  safer  to  trust  to 
the  common  sense  of  mankind  in  general,  than  to 
our  own  particular  fancy.  Singularity  of  conduct 
or  opinion  is  so  often  the  result  of  vanity  or  affec*- 
tation,  that  whoever  ventures  upon  it  ought  to  be  a 
person  whose  example  is  looked  up  to  by  others. 
A  person  too  great  to  follow,  ought  to  be  great 
enough  to  lead.  But  though  her  conversation  was 
reserved  for  those  she  preferred,  her  advice,  com- 
passion, and  good  offices  were  nlways  given  where 
most  needed.       .  '  in-li'ivO  fl  >^\  {c-;>  nr\  '^^^^ 


k.5" 


!»• 


Mil'.  isii;i;«:ici«l*     .>      *'; 

'      '      .   •    *         '  .    •      1 


.1) 


iiMit«;  <ii.^ 


Uf»iw 


1 


<!   t      J 


h. 


'1  •     •* 


,ifi  i     i   f 


u'^L    i. 


'V 


4' 


•  '    I 


U.l 


►.t 


^i.- 


;i 


.!» 


'V    t 


Is,' 


140 


yii. 


1 

MEMOIRS  OF 

k 

■  •'          «•■?!#    }.  ftr  .  .   *    .»    t  f       f 

i    'r«    f??a!.".'''#-*i|.j^ 

CHAP.  XXIX. 

.Tin:  •'ii'^'i"ii<i 

Jfadame'B  adopted  Cluldren.— Anecdote  of  Siiiler  Susan- 


-I...  r,. 


EARS  passed  away  in  this  manner,  varied  only 
by  the  extension  of  that  protection  and  education 
which  they  gave  to  a  succession  of  nephews  and 
nieces  of  the  Colonel  or  Mrs.  Schuyler.  These 
they  did  not  take  from  mere  compassion,  as  all 
their  relations  were  in  easy  circumstances ;  but 
influenced  by  various  considerations,  such  as,  in 
some  cases>  the  death  of  the  mother,  of  the  chil- 
dren, or  perhaps  the  father  ;  in  others,  where  their 
nieces  or  nephews  married  very  early,  and  lived 
in  the  houses  of  their  respective  parents,  while 
their  young  family  increased  before  they  had  a  set- 
tled home  ;  or  in  instances  where,  from  the  re- 
mote situations  in  which  the  parents  lived,  they 
could  not  so  easily  educate  them.  Indeed  the  dif- 
ficulty of  getting  a  suitable  education  for  children, 
whose  parents  were  ambitiouis  for  their  improve- 
ment, was  great ;  and  a  family  so  well  regulated  us 
her's,  and  frequented  by  such  society,  was  in  it- 
self an  academy,  both  for  the  best  morals  and  man- 
ners. When  people  have  children  born  to  them, 
they  must  subnwt  to  the  ordinary  lot  of  humanity  ; 
and  if  they  have  not  the  happiness  of  meeting  with 
many  good  qualities  to  cultivate  and  rejoice  over, 
there  is  nothing  left  for  them  but  to  exert  them- 
b(*lvcs  to  the  utmost  to  reform  and  ameliorate  what 
will  admit  of  improvement.  They  must  carefully 
weed  and  prop ;  if  the  soil  produce  a  crop  both 
feeble  aiid  redundant,  affection  will  blind  them,  to 
muny  def.'^xts  ;  imperious  duty  will  stimulate  them, 
und  hope,  liootiiiiig,  however  deceitful,  will  sup- 
port them.  But  when  people  have  the  privilege, 
as  in  this  cas<',  of  choosing  a  child,  they  arc  fairly 
entitled  to  select  the  most  promibhig.     This  sc- 


Icct 


AN  AMERICAN  LADY. 


Ul 


lection  I  understoQd  always  to  have  been  left  to 
aunt  Schuyler ;  and  it  appeared,  by  the  event,  to 
have  been  generally  a  happy  one.  Fifteen,  either 
nephews  or  nieces,  or  the  children  of  such,  who 
had  been  under  her  care,  all  lived  to  grow  up  and 
go  out  into  the  world :  all  acted  their  parts  so  as  to 
do  credit  to  the  instruction  they  had  received,  and 
the  example  they  looked  up  to.  Besides  these, 
they  had  many  whom  they  brought  for  two  or  three 
years  to  their  house  to  reside  ;  either  because  the 
family  they  came  from  was  at  the  time  crowded 
with  younger  children,  or  because  they  were  at  a 
time  of  life  when  a  year  or  two  spent  in  such  so- 
ciety as  was  there  asset-Mcd,  might  not  only  form  , 
their  manners,  but  giv  '  ■  \s  to  their  future  char- 
acter. 

About  the  year  1730,  they  brought  home  a  ne- 
phew of  the  colonel's,  whose  father  having  a  large 
family,  and  having,  to  the  best  of  my  recollection, 
lost  his  wife,  entirely  gave  over  the  boy  to  the 
protection  of  this  relation.  This  boy  was  his  uncle's 
god-son,  and  called  Philip  after  him.  He  was  a 
great  favourite  in  the  family;  for  though  apparent- 
ly thoughtless  and  giddy,  he  had  a  very  good  tem- 
per, ur»d  quick  parts ;  and  was  upon  the  whole  an 
ingenious,  lively,  and  amusing  child.  He  was  a- 
very  great  favourite,  and  continued  to  be  so  in  some 
measure,  when  he  grew  up. 

There  were  other  children,  w^hose  names  and  . 
relation  to  my  friends  1  do  not  remember,  in  the 
house  at  the  same  time  ;  but  none  that  staid  so 
long,  or  were  so  much  talked  of  as  this.  There  cer- 
tainly never  were  people  who  received  so  much 
company,  made  so  respectable  a  figure  in  life,  and 
always  kept  so  large  a  family  about  theln  with  so 
little  tumult  or  bustle,  or  indeed  at  so  moderate  an 
expense.  What  their  income  was  I  cannot  say ; 
but  am  sure  it  could  not  have  been  what  we  should 
think  adequate  to  the  good  they  did,  and  the  hos- 
pitality and  beneficence  which  they  practised :  for   ■ 


llM; 


•!'i 


,iii' 


l:i 


I4J 


MEMOIRS  OF 


the  rents  of  lands  were  then  of  soiittle  value,  that 
tliou^h  they  possessed  a  consideFable  estate  in 
another  part  of  the  country,  only  very  moderate 
profits  ^ould  result  from  it ;  but,  indeed,  from  the 
simplicity  of  dress,  Sec.  it  was  easier ;  though  in 
thiit  respect,  too,  they  preserved  a  kind  of  clignity, 
and  went  beyond  others  in  the  materials,  though  not 
the  form  of  their  apparel.  Yet  their  principal  ex- 
pense wa»  a  most  plentiful  and  well  ordered  table, 
quite  in  the  English  style  :  which  was  a  kind  of  in- ' 
novation :  but  so.  many  strangers  frequented  the 
houses  of  the  three  brothers,  that  it  was  necessary 
to  accommodate  themselves  to  the  habits  of  their 
guests. 

Peter  being  in  his  youth  an  extensive  trader,  had 
spent  much  time  in  Canada,  among  the  noblesse 
there  ;  and  had  served  in  the  continental"  levies. 
He.lud  a  fine  commanding  figure,  and  quite  the  air 
and  address  of  a  gentleman,  and  was,  when  I  knew 
him,  an  old  man. 

Intelligent  and  pleasing  in  a  very  higl?  degree, 
Jeremiah  had  too  much  familiar  kindness  to  be 
looked  up  to  like  his  brother.  Yet  he  also  ha<i  a 
very  good  understanding,  great  frankness  and  af- 
fability, and  was  described  by  all  who  knew  him, 
as  the  very  soul  of  cordial  friendship  and  warm  be- 
nevolence. He  married  a  polished  and  well  e<Iu- 
eated  person,  whose  parents  (French  protestants) 
were  people  of  the  first  fashion  in  New-York,  and 
had  given  with  her  a  good  fortune,  a  tiling  very 
unusual  in  that  country.  They  used  in  the  early 
years  of  their  marriu[>;o,  to  pay  a  visit  every  winter 
to  their  connexions  at  New-York,  who  passed  part 
of  every  summer  with  them.  This  connexion,  us 
well  as  that  witii  tlie  Flats,  gave  an  air  of  polish, 
and  a  tincture  of  elegance  to  this  family  beyond 
others ;  and  there  were  few  so  gay  and  social.  This 
cheerfulness  was  supported  by  a  large  family, 
(burteen,  I  think,  of  very  promising  children. 
These,  however,  inheriting  from  their  mother's 


1 


AN  AMERICAN* LADY. 


UB 


family  a  delicate  constitution,  died  one  after  ano- 
ther as  they  came  to  maturity :  one  only,  a  daugh- 
ter, lived  to  be  married ;  but  died  after  having  had 
one  son  and  one  daug'hter. 

I  saw  the  mother  of  this  large  family,  after  out- 
living her  own  children,  and  a  still  greater  number 
of  brothers  and  sisters,  who  had  all  settled  in  life, 
prosperous  and  flourishing,  when  she  married ;  I 
saw  her  a  helpless  bed-ridden  invalid;  without  any 
remaining  tie,  but  a  sordid  grasping  son-in-law, 
and  two  grand-children,  brought  up  at  a  distance 
from  her.     t  i-rirmox  lo  «  .n  (iav.;i«^//,  fuv, 

With  her,  too,  I  was  a  great  favourite,  because 
I  listened  with  interest  to  her  details  of  early  hap- 
piness, and  subsequent  woes  and  privations;  all  of 
which  she  described  to  me  with  great  animation, 
and  the  most  pathetic  eloquence.  How  much  a 
patient  listener,  who  has  sympathy  and  interest  to 
bestow  on  a  tale  of  wo,  will  hear  !  and  how  afllect- 
ing  is  the  respect  and  compassion  even  of  an  art- 
less child,  to  a  heart  that  has  felt  the  bitterness  of 
neglect,  and  known  what  it  was  to  pine  in  solitary 
sadness  !  Many  a  bleak  day  have  I  walked  a  mile  to 
visit  this  blasted  tree,  which  the  storm  of  calamity 
had  stripped  of  every  leaf!  and  surely  in  the  house 
of  sorrow  the  heart  is  made  better. 

From  this  chronicle  of  past  times,  I  derived 
much  information  respccthig  our  good  aunt ;  such 
as  she  would  not  have  given  me  herself.  The  kind- 
ness of  this  generous  sister-in-law  was  indeed  the 
only  light  that  shone  on  the  declining  days  of  sister 
Susan,  as  she  was  wont  afiectionutely  to  cull  her. 
What  a  sud  narrative  would  the  detail  of  this  jjoor 
woman's  sorrows  aftbrd  I  which,  however,  she  did 
not  relate  in  a  ([uerulous  manner  ;  for  her  soul  was 
sul)ducd  by  afllictioii,  and  slie  did  not  "  mourn  as 
tho.ic  that  have  no  liope."  One  instance  of  self- 
accusation  I  must  record.  She  used  to  describe 
the  lamily  she  left  as  being  no  less  happy,  united; 
•and  highly  prosperous,  than  that  into  which  she 


in 


iti 


B|l  ! 


;  I 


I  i 


'•  I 


t  ■ 


U4 


MEMOIRS  OF 


*.ajne :  if,  indeed,  she  could  be  said  to  leave  it, 
going  as  she  did  for  some  months  every  year  to  her 
mother's  house,  whose  darling  she  w^as,  and  who, 
being  only  fifteen  years  older  than  herself  was 
more  like  an  elder  .sister,  united  by  fond  affection. 

She  went  to  New- York  to  lie  in,  at  her  mother's 
house,  of  her  four  or  five  first  children ;  her  mo- 
ther at  the  same  time  having  children  as  young  as 
her's :  and  thus  caressed  at  home  by  a  fond  hus- 
band, and  received  with  exultation  by  the  tender- 
cst  parents ;  yo\mg,  gay,  and  fortunate,  her  remo- 
vals were  only  variations  of  felicity  ;  but  gratified 
in  every  wish,  she  knew  not  what  sorrow  was,  nor 
how  to  receive  the  unwelcome  stranger  when  it 
arrived.  At  length  she  went  down  to  her  father's 
as  usual,  to  lie-in  of  her  fourth  child,  which  died 
when  it  was  eight  day's  old.  She  then  screamed 
with  agony,  and  told  her  mother,  who  tried  by  pi- 
ous counsel  to  alleviate  her  grief,  that  she  was  the 
most  miserable  of  human  beings  ;  for  that  no  one 
was  capable  of  loving  their  child  so  well  as  she  did 
her's,  and  could  not  think  by  what  sin  she  had  pro- 
voked this  affiiction :  finally,  she  clasped  the  dead 
infant  to  her  bosom,  and  was  not,  without  the  ut- 
most difficulty,  persuaded  to  part  with  it  j  while 
her  frantic  grief  outraged  all  decorum.  After 
this,  said  she,  "  I  have  seen  my  thirteen  grown-up 
children,  and  my  dear  and  excellent  husband,  all 
carried  out  of  this  house  to  the  grave  ;  I  have  lost 
the  worthiest  and  most  affectionate  parents,  bro- 
thers, and  sisters,  such  as  few  ever  had  ;  and  how- 
ever my  heart  might  be  pierced  with  sorrow,  it  was 
still  more  deeply  pierced  with  a  conviction  of  my 
own  past  impiety  and  ingratitude ;  and  under  all 
this  affliction  I  wept  silently  and  alone  ;  and  my 
outcry  or  lamentation  was  never  heard  by  mortal." 
What  a  lesson  was  this  I      .  ?    .     .      , '    i    • ..  .     .    i 

This  once  much  loved  and  much  respected  wo- 
man, have  I  seen  sitting  in  her  bed,  where  she  had 
been  long  confined^  neglected  by  all  those  whom 


AN  AMERICAN  LADY. 


Uo 


she  had  known  in  her  better  days,  excepting  ^uni 
Schuyler,  who,  unwieldy  and  unfit  for  visiting  as 
she  was,  came  out  two  or  three  times  in  tlie  yeai* 
to  see  her,  and  constantly  sent  her  kindly  tokens 
of  remembrance.  Had  she  been  more  careful  to 
preserve  her  independence,  and  had  she  accom- 
modated herself  more  to  the  plain  manners  of  the 
people  she  lived  among,  she  might  in  her  adversi- 
ty have  met  with  more  attention ;  but  too  conscious 
of  her  attainments,  lively,  regardless,  and  perhaps 
vain,  and  confident  of  being  surrounded  and  ad- 
mired by  a  band  of  kinsfolk,  she  Avas  at  no  pains  to 
conciliate  others ;  she  had,  too,  some  expensive 
habits ;  which,  when  the  tide  of  prosperity  ebbed, 
could  meet  with  little  indulgence  among  a  people 
who  never  entertained  an  idea  of  living  beyond 
their  circumstances. 

Thus,  even  among  those  unpolished  people,  one 
might  learn  how  severely  the  insolence  of  prospe- 
rity can  be  avenged  on  us,  even  by  those  we.hjive 
despised  and  slighted  ;  and  who  perhaps  were  very 
much  our  inferiors  ?n  every  respect :  though  both 
humanity  and  good  sense  should  prevent  our  raior- 
tifying  them,  by  showing  ourselves  sensible  of  that 
circumstance. 

This  year  was  a  fatal  one  to  the  families  of  the 
three  brothers.  J^remiali,  impatient  of  the  unea- 
siness caused  by  a  wen  upon  his  neck,  submitted 
to  undergo  an  operation:  which,  being  unskilfully  . 
performed,  ended  fatally,  to  the  unspeakable  grief 
of  his  brothers  and  of  aunt,  who  was  particularly 
attached  to  him,  and  often  dwelt  on  the  recollection 
of  his  singularly  compassionate  disposition,  the  ge- 
nerous openness  of  his  temper,  and  pcculii'r  warmth 
of  his  affections.  He,  indeed,  was  "  taken  away 
from  the  evil  to  come  ;*'  for  of  his  large  family,  one 
after  the  other  went  off,  in  consequence  of  the 
weakness  of  their  lungs  ;  which  withstood  none  of 
the  ordinary  diseases  of  sinall-pox,  meazlcs,  8cc.  till 
in  a  few  years,  there  was  not  one  remaining. 

O 


I  . 


'I  ■' 


ii 


It 


U6 


MEMOIRS  or 


_  1^ 

These  were  melancholy  inroads  on  the  peace  of 
lier,  who  might  truly  be  said,  to  "  watch  and  weep, 
and  pray  for  all :"  for  nothing  could  exceed  our 
good  aunt's  care  and  tenderness  for  this  feeble  fa- 
mily ;  who  seemed  flowers  which  merely  bloom- 
ed to  wither  in  their  prime  ;  for  they  were,  as  is 
ofiten  the  case  with  those  who  inherit  such  disor- 
ders, beautiful,  with  quickness  of  comprehension^ 
and  abilities  beyond  their  aKS. 

•ft/^^iU  Vfi    J..'  .  .   r-'  •     ■  -^  .   \'     .     ■■     _         .'■•     .  ,  ..      . 


'.'    t' 


\^,% 


^Aq^-jt'  V^y:''      CHAP.  XXX. 


j..-iiii.»   " ■ 


J.  '  I  «  ■ 

.4   •.;     «->  ■ 


Death  of  young  Philip  Schuyler. — Account  of  his  family,  and  of 
the  Society  at  the  Flats. 

xV'NOTHER  very  heavy  sorrow  followed  the  death 
t)f  Jeremiah ;  Peter,  being  the  eldest  brother,  his 
son,  as  I  formerly  mentioned,  was  considered  and 
educated  as  heir  to  the  colonel.  It  was  Peter's 
house  that  stood  next  to  the  colonel's  ;  their  dwel- 
ling being  arranged  according  to  their  ages,  the 
youth  was  not  in  the  least  estranged  from  his  own 
family  (who  were  half  a  mile  off,)  by  his  residence 
in  his  uncle's,  and  was  peculiarly  endeared  to  all  the 
families,  (who  regarded  him  as  the  future  head  of 
their  house,)  by  his  gentle  manners  and  excellent 
qualities.  With  all  these  personal  advantages, 
which  distinguished  that  comely  race,  and  which 
give  grace  and  attraction  to  the  unfolding  blossoms 
of  virtue,  at  an  early  age  he  was  sent  to  a  kind  of 
college,  then  established  in  New-Jersey;  and  he 
ivas  there  instructed,  as  far  as  in  that  place  he  could 
be.  He  soon  formed  an  attachment  to  a  lady  still 
younger  than  himself,  but  so  well  brought  up,  and 
so  respectably  connected,  that  his  friends  were 
greatly  pleased  with  the  marriage,  early  as  it  was. 


AN  AMERICAN  LADY. 


147 


ii»d  his  father,  with  the  highest  satisfaction,  receiv- 
ed the  young  couple  into  the  house.  There  they 
were  the  delight  and  ornament  of  the  family,  and 
lived  amongst  them  as  a  common  blessing.  The 
first  ycai*  of  their  marriage  a  daughter  was  born 
to  them,  whom  they  named  Comelia ;  and  the  next, 
whom  they  called  Peter.     The  following 


a  son 


year,  which  was  the  same  that  deprived  them  of  their 
brother  Jeremiah,  proved  fatal  to  a  great  many 
children  and  young  people,  in  consequence  of  an 
cndemial  disease,  which  every  now  and  then  used 
to  appear  in  the  country,  and  made  great  havoc.  It 
was  called  the  purple  or  spotted  fever,  and  was  pro- 
bably of  the  putrid  kind :  be  that  aa  it  may,  it  prov- 
ed fatal  to  this  interesting  young  couple.  Peter, 
who  had  lost  his  wife  but  a  short  time  before,  wa^ 
entirely  overwhelmed  by  this^  stroke:  a  hardness 
of  hearing,  which  had  been  gradually  ixtcreasin^ 
before,^  deprived  him  of  the  consolaUona  he  migl^ 
have  derived  from  society.  He  encouraged  his 
second  son  to  marry ;  shut  himself  up  for  the  niost 
part  in  his  owji  apartment ;  and  became,  in  effect, 
one  of  those  lay  brothers  I  have  formerly  describ- 
ed. Yet,  when  time  had  blunted  the  edge  of  thi& 
keen  affliction,  many  years  after,  when  we  Uved  at 
the  Flats,  he  used  to  visit  us :  and  thouglv.  he  did 
not  hear  well,  he  conversed  with  g^eat  spirit,  and 
was  full  of  anecdote  and  information.  Meanwhile, 
Madame  did  not  sink  under  this  calamity,  though 
she  felt  it  as  much  as  her  husband,  but  supported 
him ;  and  exerted  herself  to  extract  consolation 
form  performing  the  duties  of  a  mother  to  tlie  in- 
fant who  was  now  become  the  representative  of  the 
family  Little  Peter  was  accordingly  brought  hoipe, 
and  succeeded  to  all  that  care  and  afl'ection  of  which 
liis  father  had  formerly  been  the  object,  while  Cor- 
nelia was  taken  home  to  Jersey,  to  the  family  of  her 
maternal  grandfather,  who  was  a  distinguished  per- 
son in  that  district.    There  she  was  exceedingly 


,i.<f'i,L 


t  \- 


■'V, '. 


'•1 


imimtij  'K' 


1  '  I 


It 


If:' ill 


■  I' ' 


„      I 
Ui'    I  '. 

1  :  ■ 

•  II 


II 


ft  ,! 


»  ' 


U8 


MEMOIRS  OF 


well  educated,  became  an  elegant  and  very  pleas- 
ing young  woman,  and  was  happily  and  most  re- 
spectably married  before  I  left  the  country,  as  was 
her  brother  very  soon  after.  They  are  still  living ; 
and  Peter,  adhering  to  what  might  be  Called,  event- 
ually the  safer  side,  during  the  War  with  the  mother 
country,  succeeded  undisturbed  to  his  uncle's  in- 
heritance. 

All  these  new  cares  and  sorrows  did  not  in  the 
least  abate  the  hospitality,  the  popularity,  or  the 
public  spirit  of  these  truly  great  minds.  Their 
dwelling,  though  in  some  measure  become  a  house 
«f  mourning,  was  still  the  rendezvous  of  the  wise 
and  worthy,  the  refuge  of  the  stranger,  and  an  aca- 
demy for  deep  and  sound  thinking,  taste,  intelli- 
gence, and  moral  beauty.  There  the  plans  for  the 
public  good  were  digested  by  the  rulers  of  the  pro- 
vince, who  came,  under  the  pretext  of  a  summer 
excursion  for  mere  amusement.  There  the  opera- 
tions of  the  army,  and  the  treaties  of  peace  or  alli- 
ance with  various  nations,  were  arranged ;  for  there 
the  legislators  of  the  state,  and  the  leaders  of  the 
war,  were  received,  and  mixed  serious  and  impor- 
tant counsels  with  convivial  cheerfulness,  and  do- 
mestic ease  and  familiarity.  *Tis  not  to  be  conceiv- 
ed how  essential  a  point  of  union,  a  barrier  against 
licens<^,  'and  a  focus,  in  which  the  rays  of  intellect 
and  intelligence  were  concentrated,  (such  as  in  this 
family?)  were  to  unite  the  jarring  elements  of  which 
tlie  community  was  composed,  and  to  suggest  to 
those  who  had  power  without  experience,  the 
means  of  mingling  in  due  proportions  its  various 
materials  for  the  public  utility.  Still,  though  the 
details  of  family  happiness  were  abridged,  the  spirit 
I  hat  produced  it  continued  to  exist,  and  to  find  new 
objects  of  interest.  A  mind  elevated  by  the  con- 
sciousness of  its  own  powers,  and  enlarged  by  the 
habitual  exercise  of  them,  for  the  great  purpose  of 
promoting  the  good  of  others,  yields  to  the  pressure 
of  calamity,  but  sinks  not  under  it  j  particularly 


yov 

not 
fori 


.  ^-trnknfrnrr^s^-Ti^^nm--^  = 


iv^-.     .'vw-v'-^n^ 


AN  AMERICAN  LADY. 


149 


when  habituated,  like  these  exalted  characters  to 
look  through  the  lonjv  vista  of  futurity  towards  thi- 
final  accomplishment  of  the  designs  of  Providence. 
Like  a  diligent  gardener,  who,  when  his  promising 
young  plants  are  blasted  in  full  strength  and  beau- 
ty, though  he  feels  extremely  for  their  loss,  does 
not  sit  down  in  idle  chagrin,  but  redoubles  his  ef- 
forts to  train  up  their  successors  to  the  same  de- 
gree of  excellence.  Considering  the  large  family 
she  (Madame)  always  had  about  her,  of  which  she. 
was  the  gtiiding  star  as  well  as  the  informing  soul, 
and  the  innocent  cheerfulness  which  she  encoura- 
ged and  enjoyed  ;  considering,  tpo,  the  number  of 
interesting  guests  whom  she  received,  and  that 
complete  union  of  minds,  which  made  her  enter  so 
intimately  into  all  the  colonel's  pursuits,  it  may  be 
wondered  how  she  found  time  for  solid  and  impro- 
ved reading  ;  because  people,  whose  time  is  so 
much  occupied  in  business  and  society,  are  apt  to 
relax,  with  amusing  trifles  of  the  desultory  kind, 
when  they  have  odd  half  hours  to  bestow  on  literary 
amusements.  But  her  strong  and  indefatigable 
mind  never  loosened  its  grasp  ;  ever  intent  on  the 
useful  and  the  noble,  she  found  little  leisure  for 
what  are  indeed  the  greatest  objects  of  feeble  cha- 
racters. After  the  middle  of  life  she  went  little 
otit ;  her  household,  long  since  arranged  by  certain 
general  rules,  went  regularly  on,  because  every  do- 
mestic knew  exactly  the  duties  of  his  or  her  place, 
and  dreaded  losing  it,  as  the  greatest  possible  mis- 
fortune. She  had  always  with  her  some  young 
person,  "  who  was  unto  her  as  a  daughter  ;"  who 
was  her  friend  and  companion  ;  and  Ijred  up  in  such 
a  manner  as  to  qualify  her  for  being  such  }  and  one- 
-<)f  whose  duties  it  was  to  inspect  the  state  of  the 
household,  and  "  report  progress,"  with  regard  to 
the  oi>cration8  going  on  in  the  various  departments. 
For  no  one  better  understood,  or  more  justly  csti* 
mated  the  duties  of  housewifery.  Thus,  those 
young  females,  who  hadthe  happiness  of  being  bred 

02 


hi  nil 


m 


150 


MEMOIRS  OF 


m 

ll'it 
HI 


i|r:tl 


"tl 


im 


under  her  auspices,  very  soon  became  qualified  to 
assist  her,  instead  of  encroaching  much  on  her 
time.  The  example  and  conversation  of  the  family 
in  which  they  lived,  was  to  them  a  perpetual  school 
for  useful  knowledge,  and  manners  easy  an<l  digni- 
fied, though  natural  and  artless.  They  were  not 
indeed  embellished,  but  then  they  were  not  deform- 
ed by  affectation,  pretensions,  or  defective  imita- 
tions of  fashionable  models  of  nature.  They  were 
not  indeed  bred  up  "to  dance,  to  dress,  to  roll  the 
eye,  or  troul  the  tongue  ;**  yet  they  wer;.-  not  lec- 
tured into  unnatural  gravity,  or  frozen  reserve.  I 
Jiave  seen  those  of  them  that  were  lovely,  gay>  and 
animated,  though  in  thv.  words  of  an  old  familiar 
lyric,       j 

"  Without  disguise  or  art,  like  flowers  that  grace  the  wild, 
"  Their  sweets  they  did  impart  whene'er  they  spoke  or 
smil'd.'*"  .s       .:  ,,,  ,  ^       ..  -,.,-;;v, 

Two  of  those  to  whom  this  description  particularly 
applies,  still  live ;  and  still  retain  not  only  evident 
truces  of  beauty,  but  that  unstuOd  grace  and  dig- 
nity which  is  the  result  of  conscious  worth  and  ho- 
nour, habituated  to  receive  the  tribute  *  of  general 
respect.  This  is  the  privilege  of  minds  which  are 
always  in  their  own  place,  and  neither  stoop  to  so- 
licit applause  from  their  inferiors,  nor  strive  to  rise 
to  a  fancied  equality  with  those  whom  nature  or 
fortune  have  placed  beyond  them. 

Aunt  was  a  great  manager  of  her  time,  and  al- 
ways contrived  to  create  leisure  hours  for  reading  ; 
for  that  kind  of  conversation  which  is  properly 
styled  gossipping,  she  had  the  utmost  contempt. 
Light  superficial  reading,  such  as  merely  fills  a 
blank  in  time,  and  glides  over  the  mind  without 
leaving  an  impression,  was  little  known  there  ;  for 
few  books  crossed  the  Atlantic  but  such  as  were 
worth  carrying  so  far  for  their  intrinsic  value. 
She  was  too  much  accustomed  to  have  her  mind 
occupied  with  objects  of  real  weight  ^ud  impor- 


tant 
kin( 
Scrl 
dinj 


AN  AMERICAN  LADY. 


ill 


tancC)  to  give  it  up  to  frivolous  pursuits  of  any 
kind      She  begs^  the   morning  with  reading  the 
Scriptures.     They  always  breakfasted  early,  and 
dined  two  hours   later  than  the  primitive  inhabi- 
tantSf  who  always  took  that  meal  at  twelve.     This 
departure  from  the  ancient  customs  was  necessary 
in  this  family)  to  accommodate  the  great  numbers 
of  British  as  well  as  strangers  from  New- York) 
who  were  daily  entertained  at  her  liberal,  table; 
This  arrang'ement  gave   her  the  advantage  of  « 
longer  forenoon  to  dispose  of.     After  breakfast  she 
gave  orders  for  the  family  details  of  the  day,  whichi 
without  a  scrupulous    attention  to  tho^e  minutiae 
which  fell   more  properly  under  the  notice  of  her 
young  friendf.)  ^he  always  regulated  in  the  most 
judicious  manner,  sc  as  to  prevent  all  appearance 
of  hurry  and  confusion.     There  was  such  a  rivalry 
among  domestics,  whose   sole  ambition  was  her 
favour,  and  who  had  been  so  trained  up  from  in- 
fancy, each  to  their  several  duties,  that  excellence 
in  each  department  was  the  result  both  of  habit  and 
emulation  ;  while  her  young  protegees  were  early 
taught  the  value  and  importance  of  good  housewife- 
ry, and  were  sedulous  to  little  matters  of  decora* 
tion  and  elegance,  which  her  mind  was  too  much 
engrossed  to  attend  to ;  so  that  her  household  af- 
fairs, ever  well  regulated,  went  <m  in  a  mechan- 
ical kind  of  progress,  that  seemed  to  engage  little 
of  her  attention,  though  her  vigilant  and  overruliaf'; 
mind  set  every  spring  of  action  in  motion,     iiivv^ 
ing  thus  easily  and   speedily  arran<>;ed  the  details 
of  the  day,  she  retired  to  read  in  htr  cloi^et,  where 
she  generally   remained  till  about  eleven;  when, 
being  mequal  to  distant  walks,  the  colonel  and  she, 
and  some  of  her  elder  guests,  passed  some  of  the 
hotter  hours  amon^  those  embowenng  shades  of 
her   firden,  in. which  she  took   great   pleasure* 
Here  was  their  Lyceum  ;  here   questions  in  reli- 
gion and  morality,  too  weighty  for  table  talk,  were 
leisurely  and  coolly  discussed  -,  and  plans  of  policy 


ldi£ 


MEMOIRS  OF    • 


V 
I' '    /     ' 

m 


r  i 


'n't 


if      1 


h 


and  various  utility  arranj^ed.  From  this  i*etrcat 
they  adjourned  to  the  portico  ;  and  while  the  colo- 
nel cither  retired  to  write,  or  went  to  give  direc- 
tions to  hiii  servants,  she  sat  in  this  little  tribunal, 
giving  audience  to  new  settlers,  followers  of  the 
army  left  in  hapless  dependence,  and  others  who 
wanted  assistance  or  advice,  or  hoped  she  would 
intercede  with  the  colonel  for  something  more  pe- 
culiarly in  his  way,  he  having  great  influence  with 
the  colotiial  government.  At  the  usual  hour  her 
diniifcr  party  assembled,  which  was  generally  a 
large  one  ;  and  here  I  must  digress*  fix>m  the  de- 
tail of  the  day  to  observe,  that,  looking  up  as  I  al- 
ways did  to  Madame  with  admiring  veneration, 
and  having  always  heard  her  mentioned  with  un- 
qualified applause,  I  look  often  back  to  think  what 
defects  or  faults  slie  could  possibly  have  to  rank 
with  the  sons  and  daughters  of  imperfection,  in- 
habiting this  transitory  scene  of  existences  well 
knowing,  from  subsequent  observation  of  life,  that 
erroi*  is  the  unavoidable  portion  of  humanity.  Yet 
of  this  truism,  to  which  every  one  will  readily  sub- 
scribe, 1  can  recollect  no  proof  in  my  friend's  con- 
duct, unless  the  luxury  of  her  table  might  be  pro- 
duced to  confirm  it.  Yet  this,  after  all,  was  but 
comparative  luxury.  There  was  more  choice  and 
selection,  and  perhaps  more  abundance  at  her  ta- 
ble, than  at  those  of  the  other  primitive  inhabi- 
tants, yet  how  simple  were  her  repasts  compared 
to  those  which  the  luxury  of  the  higher  ranks  in 
this  country  offer  to  provqke  the  sated  appetite, 
llcr  dinner-party  generally  consisted  of  some  of  her 
intimate  friends  or  near  relations  ;  her  adopted 
children,  who  were  inmates  for  the  time  being ; 
and  strangers  sometimes  invited,  merely  as  friend- 
less travellers,  on  the  score  of  hospitality,  but  of- 
ten welcomed  for  some  time  as  stationary  vi»itors, 
on  account  of  worth  or  talents,  that  gavu  value  to 
thrir  society  ;  and,  lastly,  military  guests,  selected 
with  some  discrimination  oa  account  of  the  young 


AN  AMERICAN  LADY. 


153 


friends,  whom  they  wished  not  only  to  protect,  but 
cultivate  by  an  improving  association.  Conversa- 
tion here  was  always  rational,  generally  instruc- 
tive, and  often  cheerful.  The  afternoon  frequently 
brought  with  it  a  new  set  of  guests.  Tea  was 
always  drank  early  here  ;  and  as  I  have  formerly 
observed,  was  attended  with  so  many  petty  luxu- 
ries of  pastry,  confectionary,  &c.  that  it  might  well 
he  accounted  a  meal  by  those  whose  early  and  frugal 
dinners  had  so  long  gone  by.  In  Albany  it  was 
customary,  after  the  heat  of  the  day  was  past,  for 
the  young  people  to  go  in  parties  of  three  or  four^ 
in  open  carriages,  to  drink  tea  at  an  hour  or  two's 
drive  from  town.  The  receiving  and  entertaining 
this  sort  of  company  generally  was  the  province  of 
the  younger  par;  of  the  family;  and  of  these  par- 
ties many  came  in  summer  evenings  to  the  Flats^ 
when  tea,  which  was  very  early,  was  over.  The 
young  people,  and  those  who  were  older,  took  their 
diiferent  walks,  while  Madame  sat  in  her  porticos- 
engaged  in  what  might  comparatively  be  called 
light  reading,  essays,  biography,  poetry,  8cc.  till 
the  younger  party  set  out  on  their  return  home, 
and  her  domestic  friends  rejoined  her  in  her  por- 
tico, where,  in  warm  evenings,  a  slight  repast  was 
sometimes  brought ;  but  they  more  frequently 
shared  the  last  and  most  truly  social  meal  within. 

Winter  made  little  diiference  in  her  mode  of  oc- 
cupying her  time.  She  then  always  retired  to  her 
closet  to  read  at  stated  periods. 

In  conversation  she  certainly  took  delight,  and 
peculiarly  excelled ;  yet  did  not  in  the  least  en- 
gross it,  or  seem  to  dictate.  On  the  contrary,  her 
thirst  of  knowledge  was  such,  and  she  possessed 
such  a  peculiar  tulcnt  for  discovering  the  point  of 
utility  in  all  things,  that  from  every  one's  discourse 
she  extracted  some  information,  on  whicli  the 
light  of  her  mind  was  thrown  in  such  a  direction, 
as  made  it  turn  to  account.  Wheiiever  she  laid 
down  her  book  she  took  up  her  knitting,  which 


k'i  1 ' 


H 


154 


MEMOIRS  01^ 


i 

i     J 


'.^ 


V'  k 


\ 


«i 


neither  occupied  her  eyes  no  attention,  while  it 
kept  her  fingers  engaged ;  thus  setting  an  exam- 
ple of  humble  diligence  to  her  younger  protegees, 
in  this  employment  she  had  a  kind  of  tender  satis- 
faction, as  little   children,  reared   in  the   family, 
were  the  only  objects  of  her  care  in  this  respect. 
For  those,  she  constantly  provided  a  supply  of  ho- 
siery till  they  were  seven  years  old ;  and,  after  that, 
transferred  her  attention  to  some  younger  favour- 
ite.    In  her  eai'licr  days>  when  her  beloved  co- 
lonel could  slmre   the  gaities  of  society,  I  have 
been  told  they  both  had  a  high  relish  for  innocent 
mirth,  and  every  bpecics  of  humorous  pleasantry ; 
but  in  my  time  there  was  a  chastened  gravity  in  her 
discourse,   which,  however,   did    not  repulse  in- 
nocent cheerfulness,  tlrangh  it  dashed  all  manner 
of  levity,  and  that  llippancy  which  great  familiarity 
sometimes  encourages  amongst  young  people,  who 
live  much  togetlier.     Had  Madame,  with  the  same 
good  sense,  the  same  high  principle,  and  general 
benevolence  towards  young  people,  lived  in  socie- 
ty such  as  is  to  be  met  with  in  I^ritain,  the  prin- 
ciple upon  which  she  acted  would  have  led  her  to 
b&ve  encouraged  in  such  society  more  gaiety  and 
freedom  of  manners.     As  the  regulated  forms  of 
life  in  Britain  set  bounds  to  the  ease  that  accompa- 
nies good  bi*eeding,  and  retinement,  generally  dif- 
fused, supplies  the  place  of  native  delicacy,  where 
that  is  Wcuiting.  a  certain   decent  freedom  is  both 
safe  and  allowable.     But  amid   the   simplicity  of 
primitive  manners^  those  bounds  are  not  so  well 
defined.     Under  these  circumsUmces,  mirth  is  a 
romp,  and  humour  a  buflbon ;  and  both  must  be 
kept  witliin  strict  limits. 


A  u 


It  I 


.«» 


.11 

.1  ■      .\- 


•I   \ 


AN  AMERICAN  LADY. 


J  56 


<  J      • 

''   _i  \    >   .   '  V;«,i       ,  ,   '         1 

,  I  ^,  ■.(■ur>    >  H.|(;>j 

'  'iV%'-    [■ 

v'^if'.  unili..  ,*yi 

.IJ>  /.  .    . 

CHAP.  XXXI. 

.^.J  7/!.'  H'^-J-^r^ 

'''•■:,  "^ 

ij  '^1  «i:  .  .' n  'jfd' 

.'.    <  fci , 

J?.^,>  Family  details. 

.  M    •■-                'ti.:,* 

X  HE  hospitalities  of  this  family  were  so  far  be- 
yond their  apparent  income,  that  all  strangers  were 
astonished  at  them.     To  account  for  this,  it  must  be 
observed  that,  in  the  first  place,  there  was  perhaps 
scarce  an  instance  of  a  family  possessing  such  un- 
commonly well  trained,  active,  and  diligent  skives 
as  that  I  descnhe.     The  set  that  wer«  staid  ser- 
vants, when  they  married,  had  some  ofthem  died  off 
by  the  time  I  knew  the  family ;  but  the  principal 
roots  from  whence  the  many  branches,  then  flour- 
ishing, spnmg,  yet  remained.    These  were  two  wo- 
men, who  had  come  originally  fi'om  Africa  while 
veiy  young ;  they   were  most  excellent  servants, 
and  the  mf)thcrs  or  grand-mothers  of  the  whole  set, 
except  one  white-wooled  negro  man  ;  who,  in  my 
time,  sat  by  the  chimney  and  made  shoes  for  all  the 
rest.     The  great  pride  and  happiness  of  these  sable 
matrons  were,  to  bring  up  their  children  to  dexter- 
ity, diligence,  and  obedience.     Diana  being  deter- 
mined that  Maria's  children  should  not  excel  her's 
in  any  cjuality,  which  was  a  recommendation  to  fa- 
vour;  and  Maria  equuiiy  resolved  that  her  brood, 
in  the  race  of  excellence,  should  outstrip  Diana's. 
Never  was  a  more  fervent  competition.     That  of 
Phi  His  and  Brunetta,  in  the  Spectator,  was  a  trifle 
to  it:  and  it  was  extremely  diflicult  to  decide  on 
their  respective  merits ;  for  though  Maria's  son 
Prince,  cut  down  wood  with  more  dexterity  and  dis- 
patch than  anjr  one  in' the  iiwovince,  the  mighty  Cae- 
sar, son  of  Diana,  Hit  down  wheat  and  threshed  it, 
better  than  he.     ilis'^t^ist^r  Betty,  who,  to  her  mis- 
lortime,  was  a  beUuty  bf  *her  kind,  and  possessed 
wit  ecjual  to  hf  r  beauty,  was  tiic  best  seamstress  and 
laundress,  by  far,  I  huvc  ever  known ;  and  plain 


156 


v(?      MEMOIRS  OF 


:   A* 


a: 


I 

I' 


ff 


'  J 


1 


unpretending  Rachel,  sister  to  Prince,  wife  to  Ti- 
tus, alias  Tyte,and  head  cook,  dressed  dinners  that 
might  have  pleased  Apicius.  I  record  my  old  hum- 
ble friends  by  their  real  names,  because  they  allow- 
edly stood  at  the  head  of  their  own  class  ;  and  dis- 
tinction of  every  kind  should  be  respected.     Be- 
sides, when  the  curtain  drops,  or  indeed  long  be- 
fore it  falls,  'tis  perhaps  more  creditable  ,to  have 
excelled  in  the  lowest  parts,  than  to  have  fallen 
miserably  short  in    tjhe  higher.     Of  the   inferior 
personages^  in  this  dark  drama  I  have  been  charac- 
terizing, it  would  be  tedious  to  tell :  suffice  it, 
tliat  besides  filling  up  all  the   lower  departments 
of  the  household,  and  cultivating  to  the  highest  ad- 
vantage a  most  extensive  farm,  there  was  athorough- 
bred  carpenter  and  shoe-maker,  and  an  universal 
genius  who  made  canoes,  nets,  and  paddles;  shod 
horses,  mended  implements  of  husbandry,  managed 
the  fishing,  in  itself  no  small  department,  reared 
hemp  and  tobacco,  and   spun  both ;  made  cyder, 
and  tended  wild  horses,  as  they  cull  them  ;  which  it 
was  his   province  to   manage  and  to   break.    For 
every  branch  of  the  domestic  economy,  there  was  a 
person  allotted,  educated  for  the  purpose  ;  and  this 
society  was  kept  immaculate,  in  the  same  way  that 
the  qualiers  preserve  the  rectitude  of  theirs ;  and 
indeed,  in  the  only  way  that  any  community  can  be 
preserved  from  corruption  ;  when  a  member  show- 
ed symptoms  of  degeneracy,  he  was  immediately 
expelled,  or  in  other  words,  more  suitable  to  this 
case,  sold.     Among  the  domestics,  there  was  such 
a  rapid  increase,  in  consequence  of  their  marrying 
very,   early,  and  living  comfortably  without  care, 
that   if  they  hud   not  been    detached  off  with  the 
young  people  brought  up  in^the  house,  they  would 
have  swarmed  like  an  overstockjid  hive. 

The  prevention  of  crin^e,^,was  so  much  attended 
to  in  this  well-regulated  family,  that  J^herc  was  vgry 
little  punishment  necessary  ;  none  tli«i^  I  ever  heard 
of,  but  such  as  Diana  aud^Maria  i^iH^cted  on  tl^cir 


it. 


AN  AMERICAN  LADY. 


isr 


progeny,  with  a  view  to  prevent  the  dreaded  sen- 
tence of  expulsion  ;  notwithstanding  the  petty  ri- 
valry between  the  branches  of  the  two  original 
stocks,  intermarriages  between  the  Montagues 
and  Capulets  of  the  kitchen,  which  frequently  took 
place,  and  the  habit  of  living  together  under  the 
same  mild,  though  regular  government,  produced 
u  general  cordiality  and  affection  among  all  the 
members  of  the  family,  who  were  truly  ruled  by 
the  law  of  love  :  and  even  those  who  occasionally 
differed  about  trifles,  had  an  unconscious  attach- 
ment to  each  other,  which  showed  itself  on  all 
emergencies.  Treated  themselves  with  care  and 
gentleness,  they  were  careful,  and  kind,  with  re- 
gard to  the  only  inferiors  and  dependants  they  had, 
the  domestic  animals.  The  superior  personages 
in  the  family,  had  always  sonic  good  property  to 
mention,  or  good  saying  to  respect  of  those  whom 
they  cherished  into  attachment,  and  exalted  into  in- 
telligence ;  while  they,  in  their  turn,  improved  the 
sagacity  of  their  subject  animals,  by  caressing  and 
talking  to  them.  Let  no  one  laugh  at  this  ;  for 
whenever  a  man  is  at  ease  and  unsophisticated, 
where  his  native  humanity  is  not  extinguished  by 
want,  or  chilled  by  oppression,  it  overflows  to  in- 
ferior beings  ;  and  improves  their  instincts,  to  a 
degree  incredible  to  those  who  have  not  witnessed 
it.  In  all  mountainous  countries,  where  man  is 
more  free,  more  genuine,  and  more  divided  into 
little  societies  much  detached  from  others,  and 
much  attached  to  each  other,  this  cordiality  of  sen- 
timent, this  overflow  of  good  will  takes  place.  The 
poet  says,     •  *  •     '    • 


-•  t. 


*•  Humble  love,  and  not  proud  reason^ 
*♦  Keeps  the  door  of  heaven." 


.A' 


This  question  must  be  left  for  divines  to  deter- 
mine ;  but  sure  am  I  that  humble  love,  and  not 
proud  reason,  keeps  the  door  of  earthly  happiness, 
us  far  as  it  is  attainable.     1  am  not  going,  like  the 


».5 


ir  II 


158 


MEMOIRS  OF 


V  » fa 


admirable  Crichtoii)  to  make  an  oration  in  praise 
of  ignorance  ;  but  a  very  high  degree  oJf  refinement 
certainly  produces  a  quickness  of  discernment,  a 
niggard  approbation,  and  a  fastidiousness  of  taste, 
that  find  athousand  repulsive  and  disgusting  qual- 
ities mingled  with  those  that  excite  our  admira- 
tion, and  would  (were  we  less  critical)  produce 
affection.  Alas!  that  the  tree  should  so  literally 
impart  the  knowledge  of  good  and  evil  ;  much  evil 
and  little  good.  It  is  time  to  return  fromtbi^  ex- 
cursion, to  the  point  from  which  I  set  out.  ;  ff 

The  Princes  and  Caesars  of  the  Flats  had  as  much  ^ 
to  tell  of  the  sagacity  and   attachments  of  the  ani- 
mals, as  their  mistress  related  of  their  own      Num- 
berless anecdotes  that  delighted  me  in  the  last  cen- 
tury, I  would  recount  ;  but  fear  I  should  not  find 
my  audience  of  such  easy  beliof  as  1  was  ;  nor  so 
convinced  of  the  integrity  of  my  informers.     One 
circumstance  1  must  mention,  because  I  well  know 
it  to  be  true.     The  colonel  had  a  horse  which   he 
rode  occasionally,  but  which  oftener  travelled  witli 
Mrs.  Schuyler  in  an  open  carriage.     At  particular 
times,  when  bringing    home   hay   or    corn,  they 
yoked  Wolf,  for  so  he  was  called,  in   a  waggon  ; 
an  indignity  to  which,  for  a  while,  he   unwillingly 
submitted.     At  length,  knowing  resistance  was  in 
vain,  he  had  recourse  to  stratagem  ;  and  whenever 
he  saw  Tyte  marshalling  his  cavalry  for  service,  he 
swam  over  to  the  island  ;  the  umbrageous  and  tan- 
gled border  of  which  I  formerly  mentioned  :  there 
he  fed  with  fearless  impunity  till  he  saw  the  boat 
approach ;  whenever  that  happened  he  plunged  in- 
to the  thicket,  and  led  his  followers  such  a  chase, 
tliat  they  were  glad  to  give  up  the  purauit.     When 
he  saw  from   his  retreat  that  the   work  was  over, 
and  the  fields  bare,  he  very  coolly   returned.      Be- 
ing, by  this  time,  rather  old,  and  afavoaiite,  tlie 
colonel  allowed  him  to  be  indulged  in  his  dislike  to 
drudgery.     The   mind  which  is  at  ease,  neither 
fttung  by  reuioraC)  uor  goaded  by  ambition  or  other 


AN  AMERICAN  LADY. 


159 


turbulent  passions,  nor  worn  with  anxiety  for  the 
supply  of  daily  wants,  nor  sunk  into  languor  by  stu- 
pid idleness,  forms  attachments  and  amusemeRts, 
to  which  those  exalted  by  culture  would  not  stoop, 
and  those  crushed  by  want  and  care  could  not  rise. 
Of  this  nature  was  the  attachment  to  the  tame  ani- 
mals, which  the  domestics  apprt)priated  to  tliem- 
selves,  and  to  the  little  fanciful  gardens  where  they 
raised  herbs  or  plants  of  difficult  culture,  to  sell  and 
give  to  their  friends.  Each  negro  was  indulged 
with  Ms  racoon,  his  great  squirrel,  or  musk  rat ;  or 
perhaps  his  beaver,  which  he  tamed  and  attached 
to  himself,  by  daily  feeding  and  caressing  him  in 
the  farm-yard.  One  was  sure  about  all  such  hou- 
se Sy  to  find  these  animals,  in  whom  their  masters 
took  the  highest  pleasure.  All  these  small  fea- 
tures of  human  nature  must  not  be  despised  for 
their  minuteness.  To  a  good  mind  they  afford 
consolation.  ;-; 

Science,  directed  by  virtue,  is  a  godlike  enlarge- 
ment of  the  powers  of  human  nature  ;  and  exalted 
rank  is  do  necessary  a  finish  to  tjie  fabric  of  society, 
and  so  invariable  a  result  fioui  its  regular  estab- 
lishment, that  in  respecting  those,  whom  the  divine 
wisdom  has  set  above  us,  we  perform  a  duty  such 
as  we  expect  from  our  own  inferiors  i  which  helps 
to  support  the  general  order  of  society.  But  so 
very  few  in  proportion  to  the  whole  can  be  en- 
lightened by  science,  or  exalted  by  situation,  that 
a  good  mind  draws  comfort  from  discovering  even 
the  petty  enjoyments  permitted  to  those  in  the 
state  we  consider  most  abject  and  depressed. 


l:    1 


\49 


'  f 


MEMOIRS  OF 


f'  u 


,;'rv1  i«^ 


li  'i! 


I'nl 


1 


l<  ,» 


...  n 
I. 


I! 


\: 


>.r  f.invjh"'^  /^^»5i,r1'H? 


V'    If;      > 


CHAP.  XXXII. 


)<< 


•I'f 


,*    *fr>rt-ltHPM«ic,- 


Besources  of  Madame— Proviacial  Customs. 


ft  J/  *f 


n- 


11   *;'^' 


It  may  appear  extraordinaiy,  with  so  moderate 
an  income,  as  could  in  those  days  be  derived  even 
from  a  considerable  estate  in  that  country,  how 
Madame  found  means  to  support  that  liberal  hospi- 
tality, which  they  constantly  exercised.  I  know 
the  utmost  they  could  derive  from  their  lands,  and 
it  was  not  much  :  some  money  they  hcd,  but  no- 
thing adequate  to  the  dignity,  simple  as  it  was,  of 
their  style  of  living,  and  the  very  large  family?  they 
always  dre%v  around  them.  But  with  regard  to  the 
plenty,  one  might  almost  cull  it  luxury,  of  their 
table,  it  was  supplied  from  a  variety  of  sources, 
that  rendered  it  less  expensive  than  could  be  ima- 
gined. Indians,  grateful  for  the  numerous  bene- 
fits they  were  daily  receiving  from  them,  were 
constantly  bringing  the  smaller  game,  and,  in  win- 
ter and  spring,  loads  of  venison.  Little  money 
passed  form  one  hand  to  another  in  the  countiy  ; 
but  there  was  constantly,  as  there  always  is  in 
primitive  abodes,  before  the  age  of  calculation  be- 
gins, a  kindly  commerce  of  presents.  The  people 
of  New-York  and  Rhode-Island,  several  of  whom 
were  wont  to  pass  a  part  of  the  summer  with  the 
colonel's  family,  were  loaded  with  all  the  produc- 
tions of  the  farm  and  river,  when  they  went  home. 
They  again  never  failed,  at  the  season,  to  send  a 
large  supply  of  oysters,  and  all  other  shell-fish, 
which  at  New-York  abounded ;  besides  great  quan- 
tities of  tropical  fruit,  which,  from  the  short  run  be- 
tween Jamaica  and  New-York,  were  there  almost 
as  plenty  and  cheap  as  in  their  native  soil.  Their 
farm  yielded  them  abundantly  all  that  in  general  a 
musket  can  supply ;  and  the  young  relatives  who 
grew  up  about  the  house,  were  rarely  a  day  with- 


wh< 

em 

thir 

sho 

froi 

real 

as 


AN  AMERICAN  LADY. 


lil- 


out  bringing  some  supply  from  the  wood  or  the 
stream.  The  negroes,  whose  business  lay  frequent- 
ly in  the  woods,  never  willingly  went  there,  or  any 
where  else,  without  a  gun,  and  rarely  came  bjick 
empty  handed.  Presents  of  wine,  then  a  very  usual 
thing  to  send  to  friends  to  whom  you  wished  to 
■show  a  mark  of  gratitude,  came  very  often,  possibly 
from  the  friends  of  the  young  people  who  were 
reared  and  instructed  in  that  house  of  benediction  ; 
as  there  were  no  duties  paid  for  the  entrance  of 
any  commodity  there,  wine,  inim,  and  sugar,  were 
cheaper  than  can  easily  be  imagined  ;  and  in  cider 
they  abounded. 

The  negroes  of  the  three  truly  united  brothers, 
not  having  home  employment  in  winter,  after  pre- 
paring fuel,  used  to  cut  down  trees,  and  curry  them 
to  an  adjoining  saw-miil,  where  in  a  very  short 
time,  they  made  great  quantities  of  planks,  staves^ 
&c.  which  is  usually  styled  lumber,  for  the  West- 
India  market.  And  when  a  ship  load  of  their  flour, 
lumber,  and  salted  provisions  were  accumulated^ 
some  relative,  for  their  behoof,  freighted  a  vessel, 
and  went  out  to  the  West-Indies  with  it.  In  this 
Stygian  schooner,  the  departure  of  which  was  al- 
ways looked  forward  to  with  unspeakable  horror, 
all  the  stubborn  or  otherwise  unmanageable  slaves 
were  embarked,  to  be  sold  by  way  of  punishment. 
This  produced  such  salutary  terror,  that  preparing 
the  lading  of  this  fatal  vessel  generally  operated  a 
temporary  reform  at  least.  When  its  cargo  was  dis- 
charged in  the  West-Indies,  it  took  in  a  lading  of 
wine,  rum,  sugar,  coftee,  chocolate,  and  all  other 
West-India  productions,  puying  for  whatever  fell 
short  of  the  value,  and  returning  to  Albany,  sold 
the  surplus  to  their  friends,  after  reserving  to 
themselves  a  most  liberal  supply  of  all  the  articles 
thus  imported.  Thus  they  had  not  only  a  profusion 
of  all  the  rcciuisitcs  for  good  house-keeping,  but 
had  it  in  tlieir  power  to  do  what  was  not  unusual 

P  ^ 


I 


A  62 


MEMOIRS  OF 


p  ■* 


it 


■:i' 


there  in  wealthy  families)  though  none  carried  it  so 
far  as  these  worthies.  .      •  : 

'i^■  In  process  of  time,  as  people  multiplied,  when 
a  man  had  eight  or  ten  children  to  settle  in  life,  and 
these  marrying  early,  and  all  their  families  increas- 
ing fast,  though  they  always  were  considered  as 
equals,  and  each  kept  a  neat  house  and  decent  out- 
side, yet  it  might  be  that  some  of  them  were  far 
less  successful  than  others,  in  their  various  efforts 
to  support  their  families ;  but  these  deficiences  were 
supplied  in  a  quiet  and  delicate  way,  by  presents  of 
every  thing  a  family  required,  sent  from  all  their 
connexions  and  acquaintances  ;  which  where  there 
was  a  continual  sending  back  and  forward  of  sau- 
sages, pigs,  roasting  pieces,  &c.  from  one  house  to 
another,  excited  little  attention:  but  when  aunt's 
West-Indian  cargo  arrived,  all  the  families  of  tliis 
description  within  her  reach,  had  an  ample  boon 
sent  them  of  her  new  supply. 

The  same  liberal  spirit  animated  her  sister,  a 
very  excellent  person,  who  was  married  to  Cor- 
nelius Cuyler,  then  mayor  of  Albany;  who  had 
been  a  most  successful  Indian  trader  in  his  youth, 
and  had  acquired  large  possessions,  and  carried  on 
an  extensive  commercial  intercourse  with  the  tra- 
ders of  that  day,  bringing  from  Europe  quantities 
of  those  goods  that  best  suited  them,  and  sending 
back  their  peltry  in  exchange ;  he  was  not  only 
wealthy,  but  hospitable,  intelligent,  and  liberal- 
minded,  as  appeared  by  his  attachment  to  the  army"; 
which  was,  in  those  days,  the  distinguishing  feature 
of  those  who  in  knowledge  and  candour  were  be- 
yond others.  His  wife  had  the  same  considerate 
and  prudent  generosity,  which  ever  directed  the 
humanity  of  her  sister ;  though,  having  a  large  fa- 
mily, she  could  not  carry  it  to  so  great  an  extent. 

If  this  maternal  friend  of  their  mutual  relatives 
could  be  said  to  have  a  preference  among  her  own, 
and  her  husband's  relations,  it  was  certainly  to  this 
ftimiiy.     The  eldest  son  Philip,  who  bore  her  hus- 


AN  AMERICAN  LADY. 


16:^ 


band's  name,  was  on  that  and  other  accounts,  a  par- 
ticular favourite ;  and  was,  I  think,  as  much  with 
them  in  childhood,  as  his  attention  to  his  education, 
which  was  certainly  the  best  the  province  could  af- 
ford, would  permit. 

Having  become  distinguished  through  all  the 
northern  provinces,  the  common  people,  and  the 
inferior  class  of  the  militaxy,  had  learned  from  the 
Canadians  who  frequented  her  house,  to  call  aunt, 
Madame  Schuyler ;  but  by  one  or  other  of  these 
appellations  she  was  universally  known ;  and  a 
kindly  custom  prevailed,  for  those  who  were  re- 
ceived into  any  degree  of  intimacy  in  her  family,  to 
address  her  as  their  aunt,  though  not  in  the  least 
related.  This  was  done  oftener  to  her  than  others,^ 
because  she  excited  more  respect  and  affection; 
but  it  had  in  some  degree  the  sanction  of  custom. 
The  Albanians  were  sure  to  call  each  other  aunt  or 
cousin,  as  far  as  flic  most  strained  construction 
would  carry  those  relations.  To  strangers  they 
were  indeed  very  shy  at  first,  but  extremely  kind ; 
when  they  not  only  proved  themselves  estimable, 
but  by  a  condescension  to  their  customs,  and  ac- 
quiring a  smattering  of  their  language,  ceased  to 
be  strangers,  then  they  were  in  a  manner  adopted : 
for  the  first  seal  of  cordial  intimacy  among  the 
young  people  was  to  call  each  other  cousin ;  and 
thus  in  an  hour  of  playful  or  tender  intimacy  I 
have  known  it  more  than  once  begin :  "  I  think  you 
"  like  me  wCkl  enough,  and  I  am  sure  I  like  you 
"  very  well ;  come,  why  should  not  we  oe  cousins  ? 
"  I  am  sure  1  should  like  very  well  to  be  your  cousin, 
"  ibr  I  have  x\o  cousins  of  my  own  where  1  can 
"  reach  them.  Well,  then  you  shall  be  my  cousin 
"  for  ever  and  ever."  In  this  uncouth  language, 
and  in  this  artless  maimer,  were  these  leagues  of 
amity  commenced.  Such  an  intimacy  was  never  form- 
ed vuiless  the  object  of  it  were  a  kind  of  favourite 
with  the  patents,  who  immediately  commenced 
uncle  and  'auim  to  the  new  cousin.    This,  however, 


164 


MEMOIRS  OF 


|M'       I 


S  • 


!ii 


was  a  high  privilege,  only  to  be  kept  by  fidelity  and 
good  conduct.  If  you  exposed  your  new  cousin's 
faults,  or  repeated  her  minutest  secrets,  or  by  any 
other  breach  of  constancy  lost  favour,  it  was  as  bad 
as  refusing  a  challenge ;  you  were  coldly  received 
every  where,  and  could  never  regain  your  footing 
in  so6iety. 

Aunt*s  title,  however,  became  current  every 
where,  and  was  most  completely  confirmed  in  the 
year  1750,  when  she  gave  with  more  than  common 
solemnity  a  kind  of  annual  feast,  to  which  the  co- 
lonel's two  brothers,  and  his  sisters,  aunt's  sister, 
Mrs.  Cornelius  Cuyler,  and  their  families,  with  sev- 
eral other  young  people  related  to  them,  assembled. 
This  was  not  given  on  a  stated  day,  but  at  a  time 
when  most  of  these  kindred  could  be  collected.  This 
year  I  have  often  heard  my  good  friend  commem- 
orate, as  that  on  which  the  family  stock  of  happi- 
ness felt  the  first  diminution.  The  feast  was  made, 
and  attended  by  all  the^  collateral  branches,  con- 
sisting of  fifty-two,  who*  had- a  claim  by  marriage 
or  descent,  to  call  the  colonel  and  my  friend  uncle 
and  aunt,  besides  their  parents.  Among  these  were 
reckoned  three  or  or  four  grandchildren  of  their 
brothers.  At  this  grand  gala  there  could  be  no  less 
than  sixty  persons,  but  many  of  them  were  doom- 
ed to  meet  no  more  ;  for  the  next  year  the  small- 
pox, always  peculiarly  mortal  here,  (where  it  was 
improperly  treated  in  the  old  manner,)  broke  out 
with  great  virulence,  and  raged  like  a  plague  ;  but 
none  of  those  relatives  whom  Mrs.  Schuyler  had 
domesticated  suftered  by  it ;  and  the  skill  which 
she  had  acquired  from  the  communications  of  the 
military  surgeons  who  were  wont  to  frequent  lier 
house,  enabled  her  to  administer  advice  and  assist- 
ance, which  essentially  benefited  many  of  the  pa- 
tients in  whom  she  was  particularly  interested; 
though  even  her  influence  could  not  pervail  on 
people  to  have  recourse  to  inoculation.  The 
patriarchal  feast  of  the  former  year,  and  the  hu- 


AN  AMERICAN  LADY. 


165 


mane  exertions  of  this,  made  the  colonel  and  his 
consort  appear  so  much  in  the  light  of  public  bene- 
factors, that  all  the  young  regarded  them  with  a 
kind  of  filial  reverence,  and  the  addition  of  uncle 
and  aunt  was  become  confirmed  and  universal,  and 
was  considered  as  an  honorary  distinction.  The 
ravages  which  the  small-pox  made  this  year  among 
their  Mohawk  friends,  was  a  source  of  deep  con- 
cern to  these  revered  philanthropists  ;  but  this  was 
an  evil  not  to  be  remedied  by  any  ordinary  means. 
These  people  being  accustomed  from  early  child- 
hood to  anoint  themselves  with  bear's  grease,  to 
repel  the  innumerable  tribes  of  noxious  insects  in 
summer,  and  to  exclude  the  extreme  cold  in  win- 
ter, their  pores  are  co  completely  shut  up,  that  the 
small-pox  does  not  rise  upon  them,  nor  have  they 
much  chance  of  recovery  from  any  acute  disease ; 
but,  excepting  the  fatal  infection  already  mention- 
ed, they  are  not  subject  to  any  other  but  the  rheu- 
matism, unless  in  very  rare  instances.  The  rava- 
ges of  disease  this  year  operated  on  their  popula- 
tion as  a  blow,  which  it  never  recovered ;  and  they 
considered  the  small-pox  in  a  physical,  and  the  use 
of  strong  liquors  in  a  moral  sense,  as  two  plagues 
which  we  had  introduced  among  them,  for  which 
our  arts,  our  friendship,  and  even  our  religion^ 
^yere  a  very  inadequate  recompense. 


CHAP.  XXXIII. 


Followers  of  the  army.— Inconveniences  resulting  from  such. 


1  O  return  to  the  legion  of  commissaries  &c.— 
These  employments  were  at  first  given  to  very  in- 
ferior people  ;  it  was  seen,  however,  that  as  the 
scale  of  military  operations  and  erections  increased. 


'  .«. 


166 


MEMOIRS  OF 


H'ili 


these  pe6ple  were  enriching  themselves,  both  ai 
the  expense  of  the  king  and  the  inhabitants;  whom 
they  frequently  exasperated  into  insolence,  or  re- 
sistance, and  then  used  that  pretext  to  keep  in  their 
own  hands  the  payments  to  which  these  people 
were  entitled.  When  their  waggons  and  slaves 
were  pressed  into  the  service,  it  was  neccssaiy  to 
employ  such  persons  from  the  first.  The  colonel 
and  the  mayo.*,  and  all  whom  they  could  influence, 
did  all  they  could  to  alleviate  an  evil  that  could  not 
be  prevented,  and  Mas  daily  aggravating  disaffec- 
tion. They  found,  as  the  importance  of  these  offi- 
ces increased,  it  would  conduce  more  to  the  public 
good,  by  larger  salaries  to  induce  people  to  accept 
them  who  were  gentlemen,  and  had  that  character 
to  support ;  aiid  who,  being  acquainted  with  the 
people  and  their  language,  knew  best  how  to  quali- 
fy and  soften,  and  where  to  apply, — so  as  least  to 
injure  or  irritate.  Some  youni^  men  belonging  to 
the  country,  were  at  length  prevailed  on  to  accept 
two  or  three  of  these  offices  ;  which  had  the  happi- 
est effect,  in  conciliating  and  conquering  the  aver- 
sion that  existed  against  the  regulars. 

Among  the  first  of  the  natives  who  engaged  in 
those  difficult  employments,  was  one  of  amu's  adop- 
ted sons,  formerly  mentioned  ;  Philip  Schuyler  of 
the  pasture  as  he  was  called,  to  distinguish  him 
from  tlie  other  nephew  ;  who,  had  he  lived,  would 
have  been  the  colonel's  heir.  He  appeared  mere- 
ly a  careless  good  humoured  young  man.  Never 
was  any  one  so  little  what  he  seemed,  with  regard 
to  ability,  activity,  and  ambition,  art,  enterprise, 
and  perseverance,  all  of  which  he  possessed  in  un 
uncommon  degree,  though  no  man  hud  less  the 
appearance  of  these  qualities ;  easy,  complying, 
and  good  humoured,  the  conversations,  lull  of  wis- 
dom and  sound  polit  y,  of  which  he  had  been  a  seem- 
ingly inattentive  witness,  at  the  Flats,  only  slept  in 
his  recollection,  to  wake  in  full  force  when  CrtUed 
forth  by  uccanion. 


AN  AMERICAN  LADY. 


167 


A  shrewd  and  able  man,  who  was,  I  think,  a  brig- 
adier in  the  service,  was  appointed  quarter-master 
general,  with  the  entire  supcrintendance  of  all  the 
boatsj  buildings,  8cc.  in  New-York,  the  Jersies,and 
Canadian  frontier.     He  had  married,  when    very- 
young,  a  daughter  of  Colonel  Renselaer.     Having 
at  the  time  r.o  settled   plan    for  the  support  of  a 
young  family,  he  felt  it  incumbent  on  him  to  make 
some  unusual  exertioii  for  them.    Colonel  Schuyler 
iukI  his  consort  not  only  advised  him  to  accept  an 
inferior  employment  in   this  business,   but  recom- 
mended him  to  the  Brigadier  Brudstreet,  who  had 
the  power  of  disposing  of  sucji  offices,  which  were 
daily  growing  in  importance.      They  well  knew 
that  he  possessed  qualities  which   might  not  only 
render  him  an  useful    servant  to    the  public,  but 
clear  his  way  to  fortune  and  distinction.     His  per- 
fect commiuid  of  temper,  acuteness,  and  disp.itch 
in  business,  and  in   the   hour  of  social  enjoyment, 
easily  relapsing  into  all  that  careless  frank  hilarity 
and  indolent  good  humour,  which  seems  the  pecu- 
liar privilege  of  the  free  and  disincumbcred  muid, 
active  and  companionable,  made  him  a  great  acqui- 
sition toimy  person  under  whom  he  might  happen  , 
to  be  employed.     This   the    penetration  of   IJrad- 
street  soon  discovered  ;    and    he  became    not  only 
his  secretary  and  deputy,  but  in  a  short  time  after, 
his  ambassador,  as  one  might  say :  for  before  Phi- 
lip Schuyler  was  twcnty-tno,  the  general, as  he  was 
universally  styled,  sent  him  to  England  to  negoci- 
ate  some  business  of  importance  with  the  board  of 
trade  and  plantations.      In   the  mean  while  some 
other  young  men,  natives  of  the  country,  accepted 
employments  in  the  same  department,  by  this  time 
greatly  extended.     Averse  as  the  country  people 
w  ere  to  the  army,  they  began  to  relish  the  advan- 
tage derived  from  the   money  which  that  l>ody  of 
protectors,  so  much  feared  and  detested,  expended 
among  them.     This  was  more  considerable  than 
might  at  first  be  imagined.     Government  alloMe4 


168 


MEMOIRS  OF 


provisions  to  the  troops  scrvinj^  in  America ;  with- 
out which  they  could  not  indeed  have  proceeded 
through  an  uninhabited  countiy;  Avhere  even  in 
buch  places  as  were  inhabited,  there  were  no  regu- 
lar markets,  no  competition  for  supply ;  nothing 
but  exorbitant  prices  could  tempt  those  people  who 
were  not  poor,  and  found  a  ready  market  for  all 
their  produce  in  the  West-Indies.  Now  having  a 
regular  supply  of  such  provisions  as  are  furnished 
to  the  fleet,  they  had  no  occasion  to  lay  out  their 
money  for  such  things  ;  and  rather  purchased  the 
produce  of  the  country,  liquors,  &c.  for  which  the 
natives  took  care  to  make  them  pay  very  high ;  an 
evil  which  the  Schuylers  moderated  as  much  as  pos- 
sible, though  they  could  not  check  it  entirely.— 
This  provision  system  was  a  very  great,  though 
necessary  evil  ;  for  it  multiplcd  contractors, 
commisaries  and  store-keepers  without  end. — 
At  a  distance  from  the  source  of  authority,  abuses 
increase,  and  redress  becomes  more  difficult  ; 
which  is  of  itself  a  sufficient  argument  agahist  the 
cxtention  of  dominion.  Many  of  those  new  com- 
ers were  ambiguous  characters,  originally  from  t]\e 
old  coimtry,  (as  expatriated  Britons  fondly  call  their 
native  liuid,)  but  little  known  in  this,  and  not  happy 
specimens  of  that  they  had  left.  These  satellites 
of  delegated  power  had  all  the  insolence  of  office, 
and  all  thtit  avidity  of  gain,  which  a  stiddcn  rise  of 
circumstances  creates  in  low  and  unprincipled 
minds;  and  they,  from  the  nature  of  their  employ- 
ment, and  the  difficulty  of  getting  provisions  trans- 
ported from  place  to  place,  were  very  frequently 
the  medium  of  that  intercourse  carried  on  between 
the  military  and  the  natives :  and  did  not  by  any 
means  contribute  to  raise  the  British  character  in 
their  estimation. 

I  dwell  the  more  minutely  on  all  these  great, 
though  necessary  evils,  which  invariably  attend 
an  arn.y  in  its  progress  through  a  country  which 
is  the  theatre  of  actual  war,thut  the  reader  may  be 


!  n 


AN  AMERICAN  LADY 


169 


led  to  set  a  just  value  on  the  privileges  of  this' 
highly  favoured  region ;  which,  sitting  on  many 
waters,  sends  forth  her  thunders  through  the  earth  ; 
and  while  the  farthest  extremes  oT  the  east  and 
west  bend  to  her  dominion,  has  not  for  more  than 
half  a  century  heard  the  sound  of  hostility  within 
her  bounds.  Many  unknown  persons,  who  were 
in  some  way  attached  to  the  army,  and  resolved  to 
live  by  it  in  some  shape,  set  up  as  traders  ;  carried 
stores  suited  to  military  consumption  along  with 
them,  and  finally  established  themselves  as  mer- 
chants in  Albany.  Some  of  these  proved  worthy 
characters,  however ;  and  intermari-ying  with  the 
daughters  of  the  citizens,  and  adopting  in  some  de- 
gree their  sober  manners,  became  in  pi'ocess  of 
time  estimable  members  of  society.  Others,  and 
indeed  the  most  part  of  them,  rose  like  exhalations, 
and  obtaining  credit  by  dint  of  address  and  assu- 
rance, glittered  for  a  time  ;  affecting  showy  and  ex- 
pensive modes  of  living,  and  aping  the  manners  of 
llieir  patrons.  These,  as  soon  as  peace  diminished 
the  military  establishment,  and  put  an  end  to  thiit 
iVrment  and  fluctuation,  which  the  actual  presence 
of  war  never  fails  to  excite,  burst  like  bubbles  on 
the  surface  of  the  subsiding  waves,  and  astonished 
the  Albanians  with  the  novel  spect-^le  of  bankrupt- 
cy and  imprisonment.  All  this  gradually  wrought 
a  change  on  the  face  of  society  ;  yet  such  was  the 
disgust  which  the  in^puted  licentiousness,  foppery, 
and  extravagance  of  the  officers,  and  the  pretcn- 
bions  unsupported  by  worth  or  knowledge  of  their 
upes  and  followers,  produced,  that  the  young  per- 
soi»s,  who  first  married  those  ambiguous  new  com- 
ers, generally  did  so  without  the  consent  of  their 
parents ;  whose  affection  for  their  children,  how- 
ever, soon  reconciled  ihcm. 


ire 


ItfEMOIRS  OF 


CHAP.  XXXIV. 

Arrivftl  of  a  new  Regiment.— Dominc  FreyKnghauscB. 

REGIMENT  came  to  town  about  this  time, 
the  superior  officers  of  which  were  younger,  more 
guy,  and  less  amenable  to  good  counsel  than  those 
who  used  to  command  the  troops,  which  had  for- 
merly been  placed  on  this  station.  They  paid  their 
visits  at  the  Flats,  and  were  received  ;  but  not  as 
usual,  cordially  ;  neither  their  manners  nor  morals 
being  calculated  for  that  meridian.  Part  of  the 
Royal  Americans,  or  independent  companies,  had 
at  this  time  possession  of  the  fort;  some  of  these 
had  families :  and  they  were  in  general  persons  of 
decent  morals,  and  a  moderate  and  judicious  way 
of  thinking,  who,  though  t^  ey  did  not  court  the  soci- 
ety of  the  natives,  expressed  no  contempt  for  their 
manners  or  opinions.  The  regiment  I  speak  of,  on 
the  contrary  turned  those  plain  burghers  into  the 
highest  ridicule,  yet  used  every  artifice  to  get  ac- 
quainted with  them.  They  wished  in  short  to  act  the 
part  of  very  fine  gentlemen  ;  and  the  gay  and  su- 
perficial in  those  days  were  but  too  apt  to  take  for 
their  model  the  fine  gentlemen  of  the  detestable 
old  comedies :  which  good  taste  has  now  very 
properly  exploded;  and  at  which,  hi  every  stage 
of  society,  the  uncorrupted  mind  must  have  felt 
infinite  disgust.  Yet  forms  arrayed  in  gold  and 
scarlet,  and  rendered  more  imposing  by  an  air  of 
command  and  authority,  occasionally  softened  down 
mto  gentleness  and  submission ;  and  by  that  noisy 
gaietv  which  youthful  inexperience  mistakes  for 
huppuiess,  and  that  fiippant  petulance,  which  those 
who  knew  not  much  of  the  language,  and  nothhig 
at  all  of  the  world,  mistook  for  wit,  were  very  en- 
snaring. Those  dangerously  accomplished  heroes 
njade  tlieir*  appearance  at  a  time  when  the  Eng- 


were 
gers 


AN  AMERICAN  LADY. 


17k 


lish  language  began  to  be  more  generally  undef- 
stood  ;  and  when  the  pretensions  of  the  merchants, 
commissaries,  Sec.  to  the  stations  they  occupied 
were  no  longer  dubious.  Those  polished  stran- 
gers now  began  to  make  a  part  of  genei'al  society. 
At  this  crisis  it  was  that  it  was  found  necessary  to 
have  recourse  to  billets.  The  superior  officers 
hud  generally  been  either  received  at  the  Flats,  or 
accommodated  in  a  large  house  which  the  colonel 
had  in  town.  The  manner  in  which  the  hospitality 
of  that  family  was  exercised,  the  selection  which 
they  made  of  such  as  were  fitted  to  associate  witU 
the  young  persons  who  dwelt  under  their  protec- 
tion, always  gave  a  kind  of  tone  to  society ;  and 
held  out  a  light  to  otliers. 

Madame's  sister,  as  I  before  observed,  was  mar- 
ried to  the  respectable  and  intelligent  magistrate, 
who  administered  justice,  not  only  to  the  town,  but 
to  the  whole  neighbourhood.  In  their  house,  alsof 
such  of  the  military  were  received,  and  entertain- 
ed, as  had  the  sanction  of  her  sister's  approbation. 
This  judicious  and  equitable  person,  who  in  the 
course  of  trading  in  early  life  upon  the  lakes,  had 
undergone  many  of  the  hardships,  and  even  dan- 
gers, which  awaited  the  military  in  that  perilous 
path  of  duty,  knew  well  what  they  had  to  encoun- 
ter in  the  defence  of  a  surly  and  self-righted  race, 
who  were  little  inclined  to  show  them  common  in- 
dulgence ;  fur  less  gratitude.  He  judged  equita- 
bly between  both  parties  ;  and  while  with  the  most 
patriotic  steadiness  he  resisted  every  attempt  of 
the  military  to  lieize  any  thing  with  a  high  hand, 
he  set  the  example  himself,  and  used  every  art  of 
persuasion  to  induce  his  countrymen  to  every  con- 
cession that  could  conduce  to  the  ease  and  comfort 
of  their  protectors.  So  far  at  length  he  succeeded, 
that  when  the  regiment,  to  which  I  allude  arrived 
in  town,  and  showed  in  general  an  i.miable  and 
obliging  disposition,  they  were  quartered  in  differ-, 
cnt  houses  ;  the  superior  officers  being  lodged  wil- 


* '. 


i  . 


172 


MEMOIRS  OF   / 


,     Ml 
.1  \\ 


"  "ll 


linf^Iy  by  the  most  respectable  of  the  inhabitants, 
such  as,  not  having  large  families,  had  room  to  ac- 
commodate them.  The  Colonel  and  Madame  hap- 
pened, at  the  time  of  these  arrangements,  to  be  at 
New- York.  -  ..  •     >• 

In  the  mean  while  society  began  to  assume  a 
new  aspect ;  of  the  satellites,  which  on  various 
pretexts,  official  and  commercial,  had  followed  the 
army,  several  had  families,  and  those  began  to  min- 
gle more  frequently  with  the  inhabitants:  who 
were  as  yet  too  simple  to  detect  the  surreptitious 
tone  of  lax  morals  and  second-handed  manners, 
which  prevailed  among  many  of  those  who  had  but 
very  lately  climbed  up  to  the  stations  they  held, 
and  in  whose  houses  the  European  modes  and  di- 
versions were  to  be  met  witli ;  these  we»e  not  in 
the  best  style,  yet  even  in  that  style  they  began  to 
be  relished  by  some  young  persons,  with  whom  the 
power  of  novelty  prevailed  over  that  of  habit ;  and 
in  a  few  rare  instances,  the  influence  of  the  young 
drew  the  old  into  a  faint  consent  to  these  attempted 
innovations ;  but  with  many  the  resistance  was  not 
to  be  overcome. 

In  this  state  of  matters,  one  guardian  genius 
watched  over  the  comm\mity  with  unremitting 
vigilance.  From  the  original  settlement  of  the 
place  there  had  been  a  succession  of  good  quiet 
clergymen,  who  came  from  Holland  to  take  the 
command  of  this  expatriated  colony.  These  good 
men  found  an  easy  charge,  among  a  people  with 
whom  the  external  duties  of  religion  were  settled 
habits,  which  no  one  thought  of  dispensing  w^ith ; 
and  where  the  primitive  state  of  manners,  and  the 
constant  occupation  of  the  mind  in  planting  and 
defending  a  territory  where  every  thing  was,  as  it 
were,. to  be  new  created,  was  a  pre:iervation  to  the 
morals.  Religion  being  never  branded  >vilh  the 
reproach  of  imputed  hypocrisy,  or  darkened  by  the 
frown  of  austere  bigotry,  was  venerated  even  by 
those  who  were  content  to  glide  thoughtless  down 


AN  AMERICAN  LADY. 


176 


the  stream  of  time,  without  seriously  considering 
whither  it  was  conveying  them,  till  sorrow  or  sick- 
ness reminded  them  of  the  great  purpose  for  which 
they  were  indulged  with  the  privilege  of  exis- 
tence. 

The  Dominees,  as  these  people  called  their  min- 
isters, contented  themselves  with  preaching  in  a 
sober  and  moderate  strain  to  the  peopljp ;  and,  liv- 
ing quietly  in  the  retirement  of  their  families,  were 
little  heard  of  but  in  the  pulpit ;  and  they  seemed 
to  consider  a  studious  privacy  as  one  of  their  chief 
duties.     Domine  Freylinghausen,  however,  was  not 
contented  with  this  quietude,  which  he  seemed  to 
consider  as  tending  to  languish  into  indifference. 
Ardent  in  his  disposition,  eloquent  in  his  preach- 
ing, animated  and  zealous  in  his  conversation,  and 
frank  and  popular  in  his  manners,  he  thought  it 
his  duty  to  awaken  in  every  breast  that  slumbering 
spirit  of  devotion,  which  he  considered  as  lulled 
by  security,  or  drooping  in  the  meridian  of  pros- 
perity, like  tender  plants  in  the  blaze  of  sunshine. 
These  he  endeavoured  to  refresh  by  daily  exhor- 
tation, as  well  as  by  the  exercise  of  his  public  du- 
ties.    Though  rigid  in  some  of  his  notions,  hi.5  life 
was  spotless,  and  his  concern  for  his  people  warm 
and  affectionate  ;  his  endeavours  to  amend  and  in- 
spire them  with  happier  desires  and  aims,  were 
considered  as  the  labour  of  love,  and  rew;irded  by 
the  Avarmest  affection,  and  the  most  profound  vene- 
ration ;  and  what  to  him  was  of  much  more  value, 
by  a  growing  solicitude  for  the  attainment  of  that 
higher  order  of  excellence  which  it  was  his  delight 
to  point  out  to  them.     But  while  he  thiis  incessant- 
ly "  allured  to  brighter  worlds,  and  led  the   way," 
he  might  perhaps  insensibly  have  acciuircd  a  taste 
of  dominion,  which  might  make  him  unwilling  to 
part  with  any  portion  of  that  most  desirable  specie^ 
of  power,  which  subjects  to  us,  not  human  actions 
only,  but  the  will  which  directs  them.     A  vulgar 
ambition  contents  itsolf  with  power  to  comm^Ki 

Q2 


174 


MEMOIRS  OF 


i 


liii 


obedience,  but  the  more  exalted  and  refined  ambi- 
tion aims  at  a  domination  over  mind.  Hence  the 
leaders  of  a  sect,  or  even  those  who  have  powers 
to  awake  the  dying  embers  of  pious  fervour,  sway 
the  hearts  of  their  followers  in  a  manner  far  more 
gratifying  to  them,  than  any  enjoyment  to  be  deriv- 
ed from  temporal  power.  That  this  desire  should 
unconsciously  gain  ground  in  a  virtuous  and  ardeat 
mind,  is  not  wonderful ;  when  one  considers  how 
the  best  propensities  of  the  human  heart  are  flat- 
tered, by  supposing  that  we  only  sway  the  minds 
of  others,  to  incline  them  to  the  paths  of  peace  and 
happiness,  and  derive  no  other  advantage  from  this 
tacit  sovereignty,  but  that  of*  seeing  those  objects 
of  affectionate  solicitude  grow  wiser  and  better. 

To  return  to  the  apostolie  and  much  beloved 
•Frcylinghausen.     The  progress  which  this  regi- 
ment made  in  the  good  graces  of  his  flock,  and  the 
gradual  assimilation  to  English  manners  of  a  very 
inferior  standard,  alarmed  and  grieved  the   good 
man  not  a  little ;  and  the  intelligence  he  received 
from  some  of  the  elders  of  his  church,  who  hud 
the  honour  of  lodging  the  more  dissipated  subal- 
ten\M,  did  not  administer  much  comfort  to  him. 
By  this  time  the  Anglomania  was  beginning  to 
spread.     A  sect  arose  among  the   young  people, 
vho  seemed  resolved  to  assume  a  lighter  style  of 
dress  and  manners*  and  to  borrow  their  taste  in 
those  respects  from  their  new  friends.     This  bade 
fair  soon  to  undo  all  the   good  pastor's  labours. 
The  evil  was  daily  growing;  and  what,  alas,  could 
.Domine  Fi*eylinghausen  do  but  preach  !    This  he 
did  earnestly,  and  even  angrily,  but  in  vain.     Many 
were  exasperated  but  none  reclaimed.     The  good 
Domine,  however,  had  those  who  shared  his  sorrows 
and  resentments;  the  elder  and   wiser   heads  of 
families,  indeed  a  great  majority  of  the  primitive 
inhabitants,  were  stedfast  against  innovation. '   The 
rolouel  ol  the  regiment,  who  was  a  man  of  fashion 
iuid  family,  and  possessed  talents  for  both  good  and 


I  11 


AN  AMERICAN  LADY. 


176' 


evil  purposes,  was  young  and  gay  ;  and  being  lodg- 
ed in  the  house  of  a  very  wealthy  citizen,  who  had 
before,  in  some  degree,  affected  the  newer  modes 
of  living,  so  captivated  him  with  his  good  breeding 
and  affability,  that  he  was  ready  to  humour  any 
scheme  of  diversion  which  the  colonel  and  his  as- 
sociates proposed.  Under  the  auspices  of  this  gal- 
lant commander,  balls  began  to  be  concerted,  and 
a  degree  of  flutter  and  frivolity  to  take  place,  which 
was  as  far  from  elegance  as  it  was  from  the  honest 
artless  cheerfulness  of  the  meetings  usual  among 
them.  The  good  Domine  more  and  more  alarmed, 
not  content  with  preaching,  now  began  to  prophe- 
sy :  but  like  Cassandra,  or  to  speak  as  justly,  though 
less  poetically,  like  his  whole  fraternity,  was  doom- 
ed always  to  deliver  true  predictions  to  those  who 
never  heeded  them.  '.'" 


'  I 


J.;. 


f  .f 


•   -,-11     •■■ 

■t:   :   :r  ^  . 


CHAP.  XX.    '    >i      > 
Flayi  acted.— Diipleaiure  of  the  Domine. 


N 


OW  the  very  ultimatum  of  degeneracy,  in  the 
opinion  of  these  simple  good  people,  was  approach- 
ing ;  for  now  the  officers,  encouraged  by  the  suc- 
cess of  all  their  former  projects  for  amusement,  re- 
solved to  new  fashion  and  enlight;en  those  amiable 
novices  whom  their  former  schemes  had  attracted 
within  the  sphere  of  their  influence  ;  and,  for  this 
purpose,  a  private  theatre  was  fitted  up,  and  pre- 
parations made  for  acting  a  play ;  except  the 
Schuylers  and  their  adopted  family,  there  was  not 
perhaps  one  of  the  natives  who  understood  what 
was  meant  by  a  play.  And  by  this  time,  the  town, 
once  so  closely  united  by  intermarriages  and  num- 
berless other  ties,  which  could  not  exist  in  any 


h< 


'U 


176 


MEMOIRS  OF- 


I  '\t 


m  M' 


Other  state  of  society,  were  divided  into  fwo  fac* 
tions :  one  consisting  almost  entirely  of  such  of  the 
younger  class,  as,  having  a  smattering  of  New-York 
education,  and  a  little  more  of  dress  and  vivacity, 
or  perhaps  levity,  than  the  rest,  were  eager  to  min- 
gle in  the  society,  and  adopt  the  manner  of  those 
strangers.  It  is  but  just,  however,  to  add,  that 
only  a  few  of  the  more  estimable  were  included  in 
this  number ;  these,  however  they  might  have 
been  captivated  with  novelty  and  plausibility,  were 
too  much  attached  to  their  older  relations  to  give 
them  pain,  by  an  intimacy  with  people  to  whom  an 
impious  neglect  of  duties  the  most  sacred  was  gen- 
erally imputed,  and  whose  manner  of  treating 
their  inferiors,  at  that  distance  from  the  control 
of  higher  powers,  was  often  such  as  to  justify  the 
imputation  of  cruelty,  which  the  severity  of  mili- 
tary punishments  had  given  rise  to.  The  play, 
however,  was  acted  iii  a  barn,  and  pretty  well  at- 
tended, notwithstanding  the  good  Dominc's  earnest 
charges  to  the  contrary.  It  was  the  Beaux  Strata- 
gem; no  favourable  specimen  of  the  delicacy  or 
morality  of  the  British  theatre  ;  and  as  for  the  wit 
it  contains,  very  little  of  that  was  level  to  the  com- 
prehension of  the  novices  who  were  there  first  ini- 
tiated into  a  knowledge  of  the  magic  of  the  scene, 
yet  they  "  laughed  consumedly,"  as  Scrub  says, 
and  actually  did  no,  "  because  they  were  talking  of 
him."  They  laughed  at  Scrub's  gestures  and  ap- 
pearance ;  and  they  laughed  very  heartily  at  seeing 
the  gay  young  ensigns,  whom  they  had  been  used 
to  dance  with,  flirting  fans,  displaying  great  hoops, 
aTid,  with  painted  cheeks  and  coloured  eye-brows, 
sailing  about  in  female  habiliments.  This  was  a 
jest  palpable  and  level  to  every  understanding ;  and 
It  was  not  only  an  excellent  good  one,  but  lasted  a 
long  while ;  for  every  fime  they  looked  at  them 
when  restored  to  their  own  habits,  they  laughed 
anew  at  the  recollection  of  their  late  masquerade. 
"  it  is  much,"  says  Falstaff,  "  that  a  lie  with  a 


AN  AMERICAN  LADY. 


177 


grave  face,  and  a  jest  with  a  sad  brow,  will  do 
with  a  fellow  who  never  had  the  ache  in  his  shoul- 
ders." One  need  only  look  back  to  the  first  rude 
efforts  at  comic  humour  which  delighted  our  fa- 
thers, to  know  what  gross  and  feeble  jeats  amuse 
the  mind,  as  yet  a  stranger  to  refinement.  The 
loud  and  artless  mirth  so  eiisily  excited  in  a  good 
humoured  child,  the  naivete  of  its  odd  questions 
and  ignorant  wonder,  which  delight  us  while  as- 
sociated with  innocencfe  and  simplicity,  would  pro- 
voke the  utmost  disgust  if  we  met  with  them  where 
we  look  for  intelligence  and  decorus  obsei*vances. 
The  simplicity  of  primitive  manners,  in  what  re- 
gards the  petty  amusements,  and  minute  attentions, 
to  which  we  have  become  accustomed,  is  exactly 
tantamount  to  that  of  childliood  ;  it  is  a  thing 
which,  in  our  state  of  society,  we  have  no  idea  of^ 
Those  who  are  from  their  depressed  situation  ig- 
norant of  the  forms  of  polished  life,  know,  at  least, 
that  such  exist ;  and  either  awkwardly  imitate 
them,  or  carefully  avoid  committing  themselves, 
by  betraying  their  ignorance.  Here,  while  this 
simplicity,  (which,  by  the  bye,  was  no  more  vul- 
gar than  that  of  Shakspeare's  Miranda,)  with  its 
concomitant  purity,  continued  unbroken  by  foreign 
modes,  it  had  all  the  charm  of  undesighing  child- 
hood ;  but  when  half  education  and  ill  supported 
pretensions  took  place  of  this  sweet  attraction,  it 
assumed  a  very  different  aspect,  it  was  no  long;er 
simplicity,  but  vulgarity.  There  are  things  that 
every  one  feels  and  no  one  can  describe  ;  and  this 
is  one  of  them. 

But  to  return  to  our  Mirandas  and  their  theatri- 
cal heroes  :  the  fame  of  their  exhibitions  went 
abroad,  and  opinions  were  formed  of  them  no  way 
favourable  to  the  actors  or  to  the  audience.  In  this 
region  of  reality,  where  rigid  truth  was  always  un- 
disguised, they  had  not  learned  to  distinguish  be- 
tween fiction  and  falsehoocl.  It  was  sidd  that  the 
olficers,  familiar  with  every  vice  and  every  disguse, 
hud  not  only  spent  u  whole  night  in  tellinsjj  lies  in  a 


IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-3) 


1.0 


I.I 


1.25 


!f  ii^  IIIIM 

■^  1^    112.2 
^    1^    12.0 


III— 

U    ill  1.6 


V} 


O 


^/. 


/ 


/A 


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m 


Photographic 

Sdences 

Corporation 


#V 


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93  WIST  MAIN  STRUT 

WIISTIR, NY.  MSBO 

(716)  •73-4503 


4^ 


'^^ 


U.A 


'Ji 


178 


MEMOIRS  OF 


:  0 


II  >k] 


counterfeited   place,  the  reality  of  which  had  net er 
existed,  but  that  they   were  themselves  a  lie,  and 
had  degraded  manhood,  and  broke  through  an  ex- 
press prohibition  in  Scripture,  by  assuming  female 
habits  ;  that  they  had  not  only  told  lies,  but  cursed 
and  swore  the  whole  night ;  and  assumed  the  char- 
acters  of  knaves,  fools,  and  robbers,  which  every 
good  and  wise  man  held  in  detestation,  and  no  one 
would  put  on  unless  they  felt  themselves  easy  in 
them.      Painting  their  faces,  of  all  other  things, 
seemed  most  to  violate  the  Albanian  ideas  of  deco- 
rum, and  was  looked  upon  as  the  most  flagrant  abo- 
mination.    Great  and  loud  was  the  outcry  produced 
by  it.     Little  skilled  in  sophistry,  and  strangers  to 
all  the  arts  "  that  make  the  worse  appear  the  better 
reason,"  the   young  auditors  could  only  say  "  that 
indeed  it  was  very  amusing  ;  made  them  laugh 
heartily,  and  did  harm  to  nobody."     So  harmless, 
indeed,  and  agreeable  did  this  entertainment  appear 
to  the  new  converts  of  fashion,  that  the  Recruiting 
Officer  was  given  out  for  another  night,  to  the  great 
annoyance  of  M.  Freylinghausen,  who  invoked  hea- 
ven and  earth  to  witness  and  avenge  this  contempt, 
not  only  of  his  authority,  but,  as  he   expressed  it, 
of  the  source  from  whence  it  was  derived.     Such 
had  been  the  sanctity  of  this  good  man's  life,  and 
the  laborious  diligence  and  awful  earnestness  with 
which  he  inculcated  the  doctrines   he  taught,  that 
they  had  produced  a  correspondent  effect,  for  the 
most  part,  on  the  lives  of  his  hearers,  and  led  them 
to  regard  him  as  the  next  thing  to  an  evangelist ; 
accustomed  to  success  in  all  his  undertakings,  and 
to  "  honour,  love,  obedience,  troops  of  friends,"  and 
all  that   gratitude  and  veneration  can  offer   to  its 
most  distinguished  object,  this  rebellion  against  his 
authority,  and  contempt  of  his  opinion,  (once  the 
Btandard  by  which  every  one's  judgment  was  regu- 
lated,) wounded  him  very  deeply.     The  abhorrence 
with  wliich  he  inspired  the  pi.rents  of  the  tmnsgrcs- 
oorS)  among  whom  were  many  young  men  of  spirit 


AN  AMERICAN  LADY. 


179 


and  intelligence,  was  the  occasion  of  some  family 
disagreements^  a  thing  formerly  scarcely  known.-— 
Those  young  people,  accustomed  to  regard  their 
parents  with  implicit  reverence,  were  unwilling  to 
impute  to  them  unqualified  harshness,  and  there- 
fore removed  the  blame  of  a  conduct  so  unusual  to 
their  spiritual  guide  ;  "  and  while  he  thought,  good 
easy  man,  full  surely  his  greatness  was  a  ripening, 
nipt  his  root."  Early  one  Monday  morning,  after 
the  Domine  had,  on  the  preceding  day,  been  pecu*' 
liarly  eloquent  on  the  subject  of  theatrical  amuse- 
ments, and  pernicious  innovations,  some  unknown 
person  left  within  his  door  a  club,  a  pair  of  old  shoeS) 
a  crust  of  black  bread,  and  a  dollar.  The  worthy 
pastor  was  puzzled  to  think  what  this  could  mean ; 
but  had  it  too  soon  explained  to  him.  It  was  an 
emblematic  message,  to  signify  the  desire  enter- 
tained of  his  departure.  The  stick  was  to  push 
him  away,  the  shoes  to  wear  on  the  road,  and  the 
bread  and  money  a  provision  for  his  journey.-* 
These  symbols  appear,  in  fprmer  days,  to  have 
been  more  commonly  used,'and  better  understood 
than  at  present ;  for  instance,  we  find  that  when 
Robert  Bruce,  afterwards  King  of  Scotland,  was  in 
a  kind  of  honourable  capacity  mthe  court  of  Eng- 
land ;  when  his  friend,  the  Eurl  of  Gloucester,  dis- 
covered that  it  was  the  intention  of  the  King  to  im- 
prison him  in  the  tower,  lest  he  should  escape  to 
Scotland  and  assert  his  rights,  unwilling  by  word 
or  writing  to  discover  what  had  passed  in  council, 
and  at  the  same  time  desirous  to  save  his  friend,  he 
sent  him  a  pair  of  gilt  spurs  and  twelve  crowns,  and 
ordered  the  servant  to  carry  them  to  him  as  return- 
ing what  he  had  formerly  borrowed  from  him.— 
This  mysterious  gift  and  message  was  immediately 
understood  ;  and  proved  the  means  of  restoring 
Bruce,  and  with  him  the  laws  and  liberty  of  his  na- 
tive kingdom.  Very  different,  however,  wus  the 
effect  produced  by  this  mal-apropos  symbol  of  dis- 
like.   Too  cousciousy  and  too  fond  of  popularity^ 


180 


MEMOIRS  OF 


the  pastor  languished  under  a  sense  of  imaginary 
degradiition,  grew  jealous,  and  thought  every  one 
alienul?cd  from  him,  becuuse  a  few  giddy  young  peo- 
ple were  stimulated  by  momentary  resentments  to 
express  disapprobation  in  this  vague  and  dubious 
man'.ier.  Thus,  insensibly,  do  vanity  and  self-opi- 
nion mingle  with  our  highest  duties.  Had  the  Do- 
mine,  satisfied  with  the  testimony  of  a  good  con- 
science, gone  on  in  the  exercise  of  his  duty,  and 
been  ubove  allowing  little  personal  resentments  to 
mingle  with  his  zcaJ  for  what  he  thought  right,  he 
mli^iit  have  felt  him&elf  far  above  an  insult  of  this 
kind  ;  but  he  found  to  his  cost,  that  ^^  a  habitation 
giddy  and  unsure  hath  he  that  buildeth  on  the 
fickle  heart'*  of  the  unsteady,  wavering  multi- 
tude. 


1  CHAP.  XXXVI. 

I 

Return  of  Madame.— The  Dominc  leaves  his  people.— Pulfil- 
ment  of  his  Predictious. 


M 


ADAME  now  returned  to  town  with  the  colo- 
nel ;  and  finding  this  general  disorder  and  division 
of  sentiments  with  regard  to  the  pastor,  as  well  as 
to  the  adoption  of  new  modes,  endeavoured,  with 
her  usual  good  sense,  to  moderate  and  heal.  She 
was  always  of  opinion  that  the  increase  of  wealth 
should  be  accompanied  with  a  proportionate  pro- 
gress in  refinement  and  intelligence;  but  she  hud 
a  particular  dislike  to  people's  forsaking  a  respect- 
able plainness  of  dress  and  manners  for  mere  im- 
perfect imitation,  and  inelegant  finery.  She  knew 
too  well  the  progress  of  society  to  expect,  that,  as 
it  grew  wealthy  and  numerous,  it  would  retain  its 
pribiinc  purity  -,  but  then  she  preferred  a  ^*  gradual 


AN  AMERICAN  LADY. 


181 


abolition"  of  old  habits,  that  people,  as  they  re- 
ceded from  their  original  modes  of  thinking  and 
living,  might  rather  become  simply  elegant,  thail 
tawdrily  fine ;  and  though  she  all  along  wished,  in 
every  possible  way,  to  promote  the  comfort  of  the 
brave  men  to  whom  the  country  owed  so  much,  she 
by  no  means  thought  an  indiscriminate  admission  of 
those  strangers  among  the  youth  of  the  place,  so 
unpractised  in  the  ways  of  the  world,  an  advisable 
measure  :  she  was  particularly  displeased  with  the 
person  in  whose  house  the  colonel  of  the  regiment 
lodged,  for  so  entirely  domesticating  a  showy  stran* 
ger,  of  whose  real  character  he  knew  so  little. 
Liberal  and  judicious  in  her  views,  she  did  not  al- 
together approve  the  austerity  of  the  Domine's 
opinion*,  nor  the  vehemence  of  his  language  ;  and, 
as  a  Christian,  she  still  less  approved  his  dejection 
and  concern  at  the  neglect  or  rudeness  of  a  few 
thoughtless  young  persons.  In  vain  the  colonel 
and  Madame  soother,  and  cheered  him  with  coun- 
»cl  and  kindness ;  night  and  day  he  mused  on  the 
imagined  insult ;  nor  could  the  joint  efforts  of  the 
most  respectable  inhabitants  prevent  his  heart  from 
being  corroded  with  the  sense  of  imagined  unkind- 
ness.  At  length  he  took  the  resolution  of  leaving 
those  people  so  dear  to  him,  to  visit  his  friends  in 
Holland,  promising  to  return  in  a  short  time,  when- 
ever his  health  was  restored,  and  his  spirits  more 
composed.  A  Dutch  ship  happened  about  this 
time  to  touch  at  New- York,  on  board  of  which  the 
Domine  embarked  ;  but  as  the  vessel  belonging  to 
Holland  was  not  expected  to  return,  and  he  did  not, 
as  he  had  promised,  either  write  or  return  in  an 
English  ship,  his  congregation  remained  for  a  great 
while  unsuppiied,  while  his  silence  gave  room  for 
the  most  anxious  and  painful  conjectures;  these 
were  not  soon  removed,  for  the  intercourse  with 
Holland  was  not  frequent  or  direct.  At  length, 
however,  the  sad  reality  was  but  too  well  ascertain- 
ed.   This  victim  of  lost  popularity  had  appeared 

R 


I!  I 


N 


4 


r» 


ise 


MEMOIRS  OF 


silent  and  melancholy  to  his  shipmates,  and  walked 
constantly  on  deck.     At  length  he  suddenly  disap- 

.  peared,  leaving  it  doubtful  whether  he  had  fallen 
overboard  by  accident,  or  was  prompted  by  despair 
to  plunge  into  eternity.  If  this  latter  was  the  case, 
it  must  have  been  the  consequence  of  a  temporary 
iit  of  insanity ;  for  no  man  had  led  a  more  spotless 

-  life,  and  no  man  was  more  beloved  by  all  that  were 
intimately  known  to  lym.  He  was,  indeed,  before 
tlie  fatal  affront,  which  made  such  an  undue  im- 
pression on  him,  considered  as  a  blessing  to  the 
place  ;  and  his  memory  was  so  beloved,  and  his  fate 
so  regretted,  that  this,  in  addition  to  some  other 
occurrences  falling  out  about  the  same  time,  entirely 
turned  the  tide  of  opinion,  and  rendered  the  think- 
ing as  Well  as  the  violent  party,  more  averse  to  in- 
novations than  ever.  Had  the  Albanians  been 
catholics,  they  would  probably  have  canonized  M. 
Freylinghausen,  whom  they  considered  as  a  martyr 
to  levity  and  innovation.  He  prophesied  a  great 
deal ;  such  prophecy  as  ardent  and  comprehensive 
ininds  have  delivered,  without  any  other  inspiration 
but  that  of  the  sound,  strong  intellect,  which  augurs 
tlie  future  from  a  comparison  with  the  past,  and  a 
rational  deduction  of  probable  consequences.  The 
affection  that  was  entertained  for  his  memory  in- 
duced people  to  listen  to  the  most  romantic  stories 
of  his  being  landed  on  an  island,  and  become  a  her- 
mit ;  taken  up  into  a  ship  when  floating  on  the  sea,  into 
which  he  had  accidentally  fallen,  and  carried  to  some 
remote  country,  from  which  he  was  expected  to 
return,  fraught  with  experience  and  faith.  I  re- 
member some  of  my  earliest  reveries  to  have  been 
occupied  by  the  mysterious  disappearance  of  this 
hard-fated  pastor. 

In  the  meanwhile  new  events  were  unfolding 
more  fully/ to  the  Albanians  the  characters  of  tlieir 
lately  acquired  friends.  Scandal  of  fifty  years 
standing,  must  by  this  time,  have  become  almost 
pointless.    The  house  where   the   young  colonel, 


AN  AMERICAN  LADY. 


18S 


formerly  mentioned,  was  billeted,  and  made  his 
qualters  good  by  every  art  of  seductive  courtesy, 
was  occupied  by  a  person  wealthy,  and  somewhat 
vain  and  shallow,  who  had  an  only  daughter ;  I  am 
not  certain,  but  I  think  she  Was  his  only  child.    She  ' 
was  young,  lively,  bold,  conceited,  and  exceedingly 
well-looking.    Artless*and  fearless  of  consequences, 
this  thoughtless  creature  saw  every  day  a  person 
who  was,  no  doubt,  as  much  pleased  with  her  as  , 
one  could  be  with  mere  youth,  beauty,  and  kindness, 
animated  by  vivacity,  and  distiguished  from  her 
companions  by  all  the  embellishments  which  wealth 
could  procure  in  that  unfashioned  quarter ;  his  heart* 
however,  was  safe,  as  will  appear  from  the  sequel. 
Madame  foresaw  the  consequences  likely  to  result 
from  an  intimacy  daily  growing,  where  there  was 
little  prudence  on  the  one  side,  and  as  little  of  that 
honour  which  should   respect  unsuspecting  inno- 
cence on  the  other.     She  warned  the  family,  but  in 
vain  ;  they  considered  marriage  as  the  worst  con- 
sequence that  could  ensue  ;  and  this  they  could  not 
easily  have  been  reconciled  to,  notwithstanding  the 
family  and  fortune  of  the  lover,  had  not  his  ad- 
dress and  attentions  charmed  them  into  a  kind  of 
tacit  acquiescence  ;  for,  as  a  Roman  citizen  in  the 
proud   days   of  the  republic  would  have  refused 
his  daughter  to  a  king,  an  Albanian,  at  one  period, 
would   rather  have  his  daughter  married  to  the 
meanest  of  his  fellow-citizens,  than  to  a  person,  of 
the  highest  rank  in  the  army,  because  they  thought 
a  young  person,  by  such  a  marriage,  was  not  only 
for  ever  alienated  from  her  family,  but  from  those 
pure  morals  and  plain  manners,  in  which  they  con- 
sidered the   greatest  possible  happiness  to  exist. 
To  return ; — 

Wiiile  these  gaities  were  going  on,  and  the  un- 
happy Domine  embarking  on  the  voyage  which  ter- 
minated his  career,  an  order  came  for  the  colonel 
to  march  ;  this  was  the  only  commander  who  had 
ever  been  in  town  who  had  not  spent  any  time,  or 


194 


'f/- 


ilEMOIRS  OF 


i  > 


'I,  SI 
>» 

liti 


■  I 


d  I 


i' 


aslced  any  counsel  at  the  Flats.  Meanwhile  his  Ca* 
lista  (for  siich  she  was)  tore  her  hair  in  frantic  ago- 
nies at  his  departure ;  not  that  she  in  the  least 
doubted  of  his  returning  soon  to  give  a  public  sanc- 
tion to  their  union,  but  lest  he  should  prove  a  vic- 
tim to  the  war  then  existing;  and  because,  being 
very  impetuous,  and  unaccustomed  to  control,  the 
object  of  her  wishes  had  been  delayed  to  a  future 

•  period.  In  a  short  time  things  began  to  assume  a 
more  serious  aspect ;  and  her  father  came  on<3  day 

.  posting  to  the  Flats,  on  his  way  to  the  lakes,  seek" 
ing  counsel  too  late,  and  requesting  the  aid  of  their 
influence  to  bring  about  a  marriage,  which  should 
cover  the  disgrace  of  his  family.  They  had  little 
hopes  of  his  success,  yet  he  proceeded ;  and  find- 
ing the  colonel  deaf  to  all  his  arguments,  he  had 
recourse  to  entreaty,  and  filially  offered  to  divest 
himself  of  all  but  a  mere  subsistence,  and  give  him 
guch  a  fortune  as  was  never  heard  of  in  tb%t  coun»- 
try-  This,  with  an  angel,  as  the  fond  father  thought 
her,  appeared  irresistible  ;  but  no !  heir  to  a  con*- 
siderable  fortune  in  his  own  country,  and  perhaps 
inwardly  despising  a  romp,  whom  he  had  not  con- 

'  sidered  from  the  first  as  estimable,  he  was  not  to 
be  soothed  or  bribed  into  compliance.  The  dejec- 
ted father  returned  disconsolate ;  and  the  astonish- 

.  ment  and  horror  this  altogether  novel  occurrence 

?  occasioned  in  the  town,  was  not  to  be  described. 
Of  such  a  circumstance  there  was  no  existing  pre- 
cedent ;  half  the  city  were  related  to  the  fair  cul-- 
prit,  for  penitent  she  could  hardly  be  called.  This 
unexpected  refusal  threw  the  whole  city  into  con- 
sternation. One  would  have  thought  there  had 
been  an  earthquake  ;  and  all  the  insulted  Domine's 

'  jpredictions  rose  to  remembrance,  armed  witli 
avenging  terrors. 

Many  other  things  occurred  to  justify  the  Do- 
mine's  caution ;  and  the  extreme  reluctance  which 
the  elders  of  the  land  showed  to  all  such  associa- 
tions.    All  this   Madame   greatly  lamented,  yet 


AN  AMERICAN  LADY. 


185 


could  not  acquit  the  parties  concerned,  whose  duty 
it  was,  either  to  keep  their  daughters  from  that 
society  for  which  their  undisguised  simplicity  of 
heart  unfitted  them,  or  give  them  that  culture  and 
usage  of  life,  which*  enables  a  young  person  to 
maintain  a  certain  dignity,  and  to  revolt  at  the  first 
trespass  on  decorum.  Her  own  proteges  were 
instances  of  this ;  who,  having  their  mmds  early 
stored  with  sentiments,  such  as  would  enable  them 
truly  to  estimate  their  own  vsdue,  and  to  judge  of 
the  characters  and  pretensions  of  those  who  con- 
versed with  them  ;  all  conducted  themselves  with 
the  utmost  propriety,  though  daily  mixing  with 
strangers,  and  were  solicited  in  marriage  by  the 
first  people  in  the  province,  who  thought  tliem- 
selves  happy  to  select  companions  from  such  a 
school  of  intelligence  and  politeness,  where  they 
found  beauty  of  the  first  order,  informed  by  mine!, 
and  graced  by  the  most  pleasing  manners. 


■■■ie 


CHAP.  XXXVH. 


Death  of  €oloii«I  Schuyler. 


1  HIS  year  (1757)  was  marked  by  an  event  that 
not  only  clouded  the  future  life  of  Madame,  but  oc- 
casioned the  deepest  concern  to  the  whole  pro- 
tince.  Colonel  Schuyler  was  scarcely  sensible  of 
the  decline  of  life,  except  some  attacks  of  the  rheu- 
matism, to  which  the  people  of  that  country  are 
peculiarly  subject:  he  enjoyed  sound  health  and 
equal  spirits,  and  had  upon  the  whole,  from  the 
temperance  of  his  habits,  and  the  singular  equa- 
nimity of  his  mind,  a  more  likelv  prospect  of  pro- 
longing his  happy  and  useful  life,  than  falls  to  the 
lot  ol  most  people.     He  had,   however,    in  very 

R2 


.f 


1«6     . 


MEMOIRS  OF 


v;: 


I 


IF 


'.   I 


cold  weather,  j^one  to  town  to  visit  a  relation,  then 
ill  of  a  pleurisy  ;  and  having  sat  a  while  by  the  in- 
valid, and  conversed  with  him  both  on  his  worldly 
and  spiritual  affairs,  he  returned  very  thoughtful. 
On  rising  the  next  moniing,  he  began  the  day,   as 
had  for  many  years  been  his  custom,  with  singing 
some  verses  of  a  psalm  in  his  closet.     Madame  ob- 
served that  he  was  interrupted  by  a  most  violent 
fit  of  sneezing  ;  this  returned  again  a  little  after, 
when  he  calmly  told  her,  that  he  felt  the  symptoms 
•of  a  pleuretic  attack,  which  had  begun  in  the  same 
manner  with  that  of  his    friend ;  that  the   event 
might  possibly  prove  fatal  ;  but  that  knowing  as 
she  did  how  long  a  period*  of  more  than  common 
felicity  Had  been  granted  to  their  mutual  affection, 
and  with  what  tranquillity  he  was  enabled  to  look 
forward  to  that  event  which  is  common  to  all,  and 
which  would  be  earnestly  desired  if  withheld  ;  he 
expected  of  her  that,  whatever  might  happen,  she 
would  look  back  with  gratitude,  and  forward  with 
hope ;  and  in  the  mean  time  honour  his  memory, 
and  her  own  profession  of  faith,  by  continuing  to 
live  in  the  manner  they  had  hitherto  done,  that  he 
might  have  the  comfort  of  thinking  that  his  house 
might  still  be  an    asylum  to  the  helpless  and  the 
stranger,  and   a  desirable  place  of  meeting  to  his 
most   valued  friends  ;  this  was  spoken  with  an  un- 
altered countenance,  and  in  a  calm  and  even  tone. 
Madame,  however,  was  alainned  ;  friends  from  all 
quarters  poured  in,  with  the  most  anxious  concern 
for  the  event.     By  this  time  there  was  an  hospital 
built  at  Albany  for  the  troops ;  with  a  regular  me- 
dical establishment.     No  human  aid  was  wanting, 
imd  the  composure  of  Madame  astonished  eveiy 
one.     This,  however,  was  founded  on  hope ;  for 
she  never  could  let  herself  imagine  the  danger  se- 
rious, being  flattered  both  by   the  medical  attend- 
ants, and  the  singular  fortitude  of  the  patient.    He, 


•S-'i 


Forty  yeftrs. 


AN  AMERICAN  LADY. 


'   i»r 


however,  continued  to  arrange  all  things  for  the 
change  he  expected  :  he  left  his  houses  in  town 
and  country,  his  plate,  a,nd  in  short  all  his  effects, 
to  his  wife,  at  her  sole  disposal ;  his  estates  were 
finally  left  to  the  orphan  son  of  his  nephew,  then 
a  child  in  the  family  ;  but  Madame  was  to  enjoy 
the  rents  during  her  life. 

His  negroes,  for  whom  he  had  a  great  affection, 
were  admitted  every  day  to  visit  him  ;  and  with  all 
the  ardour  of  attachment  peculiar  to  that  kind- 
hearted  race,  implored  heaven  day  and  night  for  his 
recovery.  The  day  before  his  death,  he  had  them 
all  called  round  his  bed,  and  in  their  presence  be- 
sought Madame  that  she  would  upon  no  account 
sell  any  of  them ;  this  request  he  would  not  have 
made  could  he  have  foreseen  the  consequences. — 
On  the  fifth  day  of  his  illness  he  quietly  breathed 
his  last ;  having  expressed,  while  he  was  able  to  ar- 
ticulate, the  most  perfect  confidence  in  the  mercy 
of  the  God  whom  he  had  diligently  served  and  en- 
tirely trusted  :  and  the  most  tender  attachment  to 
the  friends  he  was  about  to  leave. 

It,  would  be  a  vain  attempt  to  describe  the  sorrow 
of  a  family  like  his,  who  had  all  been  accustomed 
from  childhood  to  look  up  to  him  as  the  first  of 
mankind,  and  the  medium  through  which  they  re- 
ceived every  earthly  blessing  ;  while  the  serenity 
of  his  wisdonr,  the  sweet  and  gentle  cast  of  his 
heartfelt  piety,  and  tlie  equal  mildness  of  his  tem- 
per, rendered  him  incapable  of  embittering  obliga- 
tions; so  that  his  generous  humanity  and  liberal 
hospitality,  were  adorned  by  all  the  graces  that 
courtesy  could  add  to  kindness.  The  public  voice 
was  loud  in  its  plaudits  and  lamantations.  In ,  the 
various  characters  of  a  patriot,  a  hero,  and  a  saint, 
he  was  dear  to  all  the  friends  of  valour,  humanity, 
and  public  spirit ;  while  his  fervent  loyalty,  and 
unvaried  attachment  to  the  king,  and  the  laws  of 
that  country  by  which  his  own  was  protected,  eur 
dcaredhim  to  all  tlie  servants  of  government  i  who 


t       V 


ififi 


MEMOIRS  OF 


I"    i 


knew  theyticrer  «houk1  meet  with  another  eq\ially 
able,  or  equally  disposed  to  smooth  their  way  in  the 
paths  of  duty  assigned  to  them. 

To  govemment  this  loss  would  have  been  irrepa- 
rable, had  not  two  singular  and  highly  meritorious 
characters  a  little  before  this  time  made  their  ap- 
pearance, and  by  superiority  of  merit  and  abilities, 
joined  with  integrity  seldom  to  be  met  with  any 
where,  in  some  degree  supplied  the  loss  to  the 
public.  One  of  these  was  Sir  William  Johnson,  the 
Indian  superintendant,  formerly  menticmed  ;  the 
other  was  Cadwallader  Colden,  for  a  very  long  pe- 
riod of  years  lieutenant-governor  (indeed  virtually 
governor)  of  New- York  ;  who  in  point  of  political 
sagacity,  and  thorough  knowledge  of  those  he  go- 
verned, was  fully  capable  to  supply  that  place.— 
This  shrewd  and  able  ruler,  whose  origin  I  believe 
was  not  very  easily  traced,  was  said  to  be  a  Scotch- 
man, and  had  raised  himsejf  solely  by  his  merit  to 
the  station  he  held.  In  this  he  maintained  himself 
by  indefatigable  diligence,  rigid  justice,  and  the 
most  perfect  impartiality.  He  neither  sought  to 
be  feared  nor  loved,  but  merely  to  be  esteemed  and 
trusted,  and  thus  fixed  his  power  on  the  broad 
foundation  of  public  utility.  Successive  governors, 
little  ncqiiainted  with  the  country,  and  equally 
strangers  to  business,  found  it  convenient  to  leave 
the  management  with  him ;  who  confessedly  under- 
stood it  better  than  any  one  else,  and  who  had  no 
friends  but  a  few  personal  ones,  and  no  enemies 
but  a  few  public  ones,  who  envied  his  station.  It 
was  very  extraordinary  to  sec  a  man  rule  so  long 
and  so  steadily  where  he  was  merely  and  coldly 
esteemed :  with  so  few  of  the  advantages  that  gene- 
rally procure  success  in  the  worW,  without  birth  or 
iUliance  ;  he  had  not  even  the  recommendation  of  a 
pleasing  appearance,  or  msinuating  address.  He 
was  diminutive,  and  somewhat  more  than  hig^- 
sbouidercd  ;  the  contrast  betwixt  the  wealth  of  his 
mind)  and  the  poverty  of  his  outward  appearance, 


AN  AMERICAN  LADY. 


189 


might  remind  one  of  ^sop,  or  rather  of  the  faithful 
though  ill-shaped  herald  of  Ulysses : 

**  Embutes,  in  whose  larg^  miod  alone. 

♦«  Ulysses  viewed  the  image  of  his  own.     ,■-.■ 

Thus  was  it  with  Golden.  Among  the  number  of 
governors  wh6  succeeded  each  other  in  his  time,  if 
by  chance  one  happened  to  be  a  man  of  ability)  he 
estimated  his  merit  at  its  just  rate ;  and  whatever 
original  measure  he  might  find  it  necessary  to  tak6 
for  the  public  good,  left  tlie  common  routine  of  bu- 
siness in  the  hands  of  that  tried  integrity  and  expe- 
rience, in  which  he  j^und  them ;  satisfied  with  the 
state  and  the  popularity  of  govenior,  on  which  the 
other  had  not  a  wish  to  encroach.  Golden,  how- 
ever, «nriched  his  own  family,  in  a  maimer  on  the 
whole  not  objectionable:  he  procured  from  the 
successive  governors  various  grants  of  land,  whichi 
though  valuable  in  quality,  were  not,  from  the  re- 
moteness of  their  situation,  an  object  of  desire  to 
settlers;  and  purchased  grants  from  many,  who 
had  obtained  the  property  of  them,  among  which 
were  different  governors  and  military  comman- 
ders. He  allowed  this  mine  of  future  wealth 
to  lie  quietly  ripening  to  its  value,  till  the  lands  near 
it  were.  In  process  of  time,  settled,  arid  it  became 
a  desirable  object  to  purchase  or  hold  on  lease. 


.r  - 


GHAP.  XXXVIII. 


Mi%  Schuyler's  arrangements  and  conduct  after  the  Colonel's 

death. 

1  li£  mind  of  our  good  aunt,  which  had  never 
before  yielded  to  calamity,  seemed  altogether  sub- 
dued by  the  painful  separation  from  her  husband.«- 


190 


MEMOIRS  OF 


Kcver  having  left  her  consort's  bed-side^  or  knoMrii 
the  refreshment  of  a  quiet  sleep,  during  hi's  illnesS) 
she  sunk  at  first  into  a  kind  of  torpor,  which  her' 
friends  willingly  mistook  for  the  effects  of  resigna- 
tion.    This  was  soon  succeeded  by  the  most  acute 
sprrow,  and*  a  dangerous  illness,  the  consequence 
of  her  mental  suffering.     In  spring  she  slowly  re- 
covered, and  endeavoured  to  find  consolation  in  re- 
turning to  the  regulation  of  her  fapiiily,  and  the  soci- 
«ty  of  her  friends,  for  both  which  she  had  been  for 
some  months  disqualified.     Mer  nieces,'  the  Miss 
Ciiylers,  wert  a  great  comfort  to  her,  from  their  af- 
fectionate attention,  and  the  pleasure  she  took  in 
seeing  them  growing  up  to  be  all  that  her  matei^nal 
affection  coulcl  wish.  In  the  social  crief  of  Pedrom,* 
who  gave  all  his  time  to  her  durmg  the  early  part 
of  her  widowhood,  she  also  found  consolation  ;  and 
whenever  she  was  able  ,to  receive  thcni,  her  friends 
came  from  all  quarters  to  express  their  sympathy 
and  their  respect.     The  colonel's  heir  and  her  own 
eldest  nephew  made,  with  one  of  her  nieces,  apart 
of  her  family;    and  the  necessity  of  attenduig  to 
such  affairs  as  formerly  lay  within  the  colonel's  pro- 
vince, served  further  to  occupy  her  rhind ;  yet  her 
thoughts  continually  recurred  to  that  loss,  which 
she  daily  felt  more  and  more.     She  hud  buried  the 
colonel  in  a  spot  within  a  short  distance  of  his  own 
house,  in  vhich  he  had  formerly  desired  to  repose, 
that  his  remains  might  not  quit  a  scene  so  dear  to 
him ;  and  that  the  place,  rendered  sacrcd   by   his 
ashes,  might  in  iuturc  be  a  common   sepulture  to 
his  family;  that  he  might  in  death,  as  in  life,  be 
surrounded  by  the  objects  of  his  affection  and  be- 
neficence.    This  consecrated  spot,  about  the  size 
of  a  small  flower  gMrden,  was  enclosed  for  this  pur- 
pose, and  a  tomb-stone,  with  a  suitable  inscription, 
erected  over  the  ^rave,  where  this  excelleht  per- 
son's relict  proposed  her  ashes  should  mingle  with 

*  The  ouloael'i  brother  Pcter>  so  oaUed. 


AN  AMERICAN  LADY. 


191 


his.     In  the  mean  time,  though  by   continually 
speaking  of  her  deceased  friend)  she  passed'  the 
day  without  much  visible  agitation,  she  had  fallen 
into  a  habit  of  vigilance  ;  rarely  sleeping  till  morn- 
ing, and  suffering  through  the  silent  hours  from  a 
periodical  agony,  for  such  it  might  be  called,  with 
which  she  was  regularly  visited.     She  had  a  co^ii- 
dante  in  this  secret  suffering ;  a  decent  and  pi^us  . 
woman,  who,  on  the  death  of  her  husband,  a  Ser- 
jeant in  the  army,  had  been  received  into  this  fami- 
ly as  a  kind  of  upper  domestic ;  and  found  herself 
so  happy,  knd  made  herself  so  useful  inr  teaching 
reading  and  needle-work  to  the  children,  that  «h6 
still  remained.     This  good  wbman  slept  in  ftunt^ 
room;  and  when  all  the  family  were  at  rest,  she 
used  to  accompany  her  to  a  smali  distance  from  the 
tomb  which  contained  those  remains  so  dear  to  her. 
Madaijie,  in  the  mean  time,  entered  alone  into  the 
hallowed  enclosure,  and  there  indulged  her  undvsdW 
ing  sorrow.     This  she  continued  to  do  for  some 
time,  as  she  thought  unobserved;  but  being  very 
tall,  and  become  large  as  she  advanced  in  life,  her 
figure,  arrayed  in  her  nig^t-clothes,  was  very  corl- 
spicuous,  and  was  on  different  occasions  observed 
by  neighbours,  who  occasionally  passed  by  at  night ; 
the  consequence  was,  that  it  was  rumoured  that  an 
apparition  was  seen  every  night  near  the  colonel's 
grave.     This  came  to  the  ears  of  the  people  of  the 
house,  some  of  whom  had  the  curiosity   to  watch 
at  a  distance,  and  saw  the  dreaded  form  appeal^ 
and,  as  they  thought,  vanish.     This  they  carefully 
concealed    from    their  revered  patroness.     EVery 
one  else  in  the  house  however  heard  it ;  and  a  pen- 
sive ttir  of  awe  and  mystery  overspread  the  wliole 
Family.     Her  confidante,  however,  told  her  of  it; 
and  the  consequence  of  this  improper  indulgence 
of    sorrow    greatly   increased  the  dislike    which 
Madame  had  always  expressed   for  mystery  and 
concealment.     She  was  unwilling  to  let  a  family,  to 
whom  she  had  always  set  such  an  example  of  self- 


in 


MEMOIES  OF 


'  commu^  kQOw  (^  her  indulging  a  w<eakAess  so 
iili8mt;able  to  her  chiu'acter  sa»d  time  of  life.  At 
the  same  time,  however,  she  was  resolved  not  to 
i^low  the  belief  of  a  supernatural  •  appearance  to 
fasten  on  their  minds;  unwilling  to  mention  the 
subject  herself,  she  was  forced  to  submit  to  the  hu* 
mihation  of  having  it  revealed  by  her  confidante,  to 
quiet  the  minds  of  the  children  and  domestics^  and 
reconcile  them  to  solitude  and  iKoon-light. 
.  Her  mind  was  at  this  time  roused  from  her  own 
peculiar  sodrrowa>  hj  an  alarming  event,  which  dis- 
turbed the  public  tranquillity,  and  awak^ied  the 
fears  of  the  whole  province,  by  laying  open  the 
weMern  fruitier*.  Thia  was  the  taking  of  Oswego 
by  tlw  French,  whi/ch  fortress  was  the  only  barrier, 
excf  ^  the  valour  Mid  conduct  of  Sir  William  John- 
son and  his  Mohawk  friends,  by  which  the  towi 
was  protect^^d  on  that  side.  The  poor,  people,  who 
wer^  driven  by  tthe  ternor  of  this  event  from  th^ 
settlements  in  that  quarter,  «Kcited  the  sympathy 
of  liberal-minded  persons :  and  the  interest  which 
she  took  ill  their  distresses,  was  one  of  the  first 
things  that  roused  the  attention  of  our  good 
auni  to  her  wonted  beneficent  exertions.  Gene- 
ral Bradstreet,  who  had  a  high  respect  for  her 
understanding,  and  consulted  her  on  all  emergen- 
cies, had  a  profound  reverence  for  the  colonel's 
memory,  and  continued  his  intimacy  in  the  family. 
The  critical  situation  of  things  at  this  time,  occa- 
sioned Lord  Loudon  to  be  sent  out  as  commander 
of  the  forces  in  America.  Madame  received  this 
nobleman  when  he  visited  Albany,  and  gave  him 
most  useful  information.  He  was  uitroduced  to 
her  by  General  Bradstreet,  whose  power  and  con- 
sequence might  be  said  to  increase  with  the  dis- 
asters of  the  country ;  his  department  was  a  very 
lucrative  one,  and  enabled  him,  first,  greatlv  to 
enrich  himself,  and  in  process  of  time,  his  friend 
Philip  Schuyler,  who,  irom  his  deputy^  became,  in 
a  manner,  his  coadjutor.    Albany  now    swarmed 


AN  AMERICAN  LADY. 


19; 


^  vrith  engineers,  planners,  architects,  and  boat- 
builders.     Various  military  characters,  since  high- 

'  ly  distinguished,  whose  names  I  do  not  recollect, 
though  once  familiar  to  me,  obtained  introductions 
to  Madame,  who  began  once  more  to  occupy  her 
mind  with  public  matters,  and  to  open  her  house 
to  the  more  respected  and  well-known  characters 
among  the  military.  Her  brother-in-law,  whom  I 
have  so  often  mentioned  under  the  affectionate  ap- 
pellation of  Pedrom,  by  which  he  ^ras  known  in  the 
family,  being  within  less  than  half  an  hour's  walk, 
spent  much  of  his  time  with  her,  and  received  her 
company.     This  he  was  well  qualified  to  do,  being 

'  a  person  of  a  comely  dignified  appearance,  and 
frank,  easy  manners,  inferior  only  to  his  late  bro- 
ther in  depth  of  reflection,  ahd  comprehension  of 
mind. 


.  CHAP.  XXXIX. 

Mohavk  Indians.— The  Superintendant. 

JtjY  this  time  matters  had  gradually  assumed  anew 
aspect  on  this  great  continent.  The  settlement  at 
Albany  was  no  longer  an  insulated  region,  ruled 
and  defended  by  the  wisdom  and  courage  diffused 
through  the  general  mass  of  the  inhabitants ;  but 
begun,  in  the  ordinary  course  of  things,  to  incor- 
porate with  the  general  state.  The  Mohawk  In* 
dians  were  so  engaged  by  treaties  to  assist  the  army, 
in  its  now  regular  operations  to  the  westwsurd,  that 
they  came  less  frequently  to  visit  Albany.  A  line 
of  torts  had,  at  a  prodigious  expense,  been  erected, 
leading  from  Albany  to  Upper  Canada,  by  the  Mo- 
hawk  river,  and  the  lakes  of  Ontario,  Niagara,  Sec 
Many,  respectable  engineers  were  engaged  in  con- 

•    8 


194 


MEMOIRS  OF     -'\ 


in 
m 

M 


etructitig  these ;  some  of  them  I  remember  were 
Swedes,  persons  of  a  graceful  appearance,  polish- 
ed manners,  and  very  correct  conduct.  These 
strangers  conducted  matters  better  than  our  own 
■countrymen :  being  more  accommodating  in  their 
manners,  and  better  accustomed  to  a  severe  cli- 
mate, and  inconveniencies  of  every  kind.  They 
were  frequent  guests  at  the  Flats,  were  a  pleasing 
accession  to  the  society,  and  performed  their  duty 
to  the  public  with  a  degree  of  honour  and  fidelity 
that  checked  abuses  in  others,  and  rescued  the 
service  they  were  engaged  in,  from  the  reproach 
which  it  had  incurred,  in  consequence  of  those 
fungi  of  society  which  had  at  first  intruded  into  it. 
By  the  advice  of  the  Schuylers,  there  was  now 
on  the  Mohawk  river  a  superintendant  of  Indian  af- 
fairs J  the  importance  of  which  began  to  be  fully 
understood.  He  was  regularly  appointed,  and 
paid  by  government.  This  was  the  justly  cele- 
brated Sir  William  Johnson,  who  held  an  office 
difficult  both  to  execute  and  define.  He  might  in- 
deed be  called  the  tribune  of  the  five  nations: 
whose  claims  he  asserted,  whose  rights  he.  pro- 
tected, and  over  whose  minds  he  possessed  a  great- 
er sway  than  any  other  individual  had  ever  attained. 
He  was  indeed  calculated  to  conciliate  and  retain 
the  affections  of  this  brave  people  ;  possessing 
in  common  with  them  many  of  those  peculiari- 
ties of  mind  and  manners,  that  distinguished  them 
from  others.  He  was  an  uncommonly  tall,  well 
made  man :  with  a  fine  countenance  ;  which,  how- 
ever, had  rather  an  expression  of  dignified  sedate- 
liess,  approaching  to  melancholy.  He  appeared  to 
be  taoitum,  never  wasting  words  on  matters  of 
no  imi>ortance  :  but  highly  eloquent  when  the  oc- 
casion called  forth  his  powers.  He  possessed  intu- 
itive sagacity,  and  the  most  entire  command  of 
temper,  and  of  countenance.  He  did  by  no  means 
lose  sight  of  his  own  interest,  but  on  the  contrary 
raised  himself  to  power  and  wealth,  in  an  open  aod 


.    i 


AN  AMERICAN  LADY. 


195 


active  manner;    not   disdaining   any   honourable 
means  of  benefiting  himself:  but  at  the  same  time 
the  bad  policy,  as  well  as  meanness  of  sacrificing 
respectability,  to  snatching  at  petty  present  advan- 
tages, were  so  obvious  to  him,  that  he  laid  the 
foundation  of  his  future  prosperity  on  the  broad 
and  deep  basis  of  honourable  dealing,  accompanied, 
by  the  most  vigilant  attention  to  the  objects  he  had 
in  view  ;  acting  so  as,  without  the  least  departure 
from  integrity  on  the  one  hand,  or  inattention  to 
his  affairs  on  the  other,  to  conduct  himself  in  such  a 
manner,  as  gave  an  air  of  magnanimity  to  his  char- 
acter, that  made  him  the  object  of  universal  confi- 
dence.    He  purchased  from  the  Indians  (having  the 
grant  confirmed  by  his  sovereign)  a  large  and  fer- 
tile tract  of  land  upon  the  Mohawk  river ;  where, 
having  cleared  and  cultivated  the  ground,  he  built 
two  spacious  and  convenient  places  of  residence ; 
known  afterwards  by  the  names  of  Johnson  castle, 
and  Johnson  hall.    The  first  was  on  a  fine  eminence, 
stockaded  round,  and  slightly  fortified;  the  last 
was  built  on  the  side  of  the  river,  on  a  most  fertile 
and  delightful  plain,  surrounded  with  an  ample 
and  well  cultivated  domain :  and  that  again  encir- 
cled by  European  settlers ;  who  had   first  come 
there  as  architects,  or  workmen,  and  had  been  in- 
duced by  Sir  William's  .liberality,  and  the  singular 
beauty  of  the  district,  to  continue.     His  trade  with 
the  five  nations  was  very  much  for  their  advantage ; 
he  supplying  them  on  more  equitable  terms  than 
any  trader,  and  not  indulging  the  excesses  in  re- 
gard to  strong  liquors  which  others  were  too  easi- 
ly induced  to  do.     The  castle  contained  the  stor(; 
in  which  all  goods  were  laid  up,  which  were  meant 
for  the  Indian  traffic,  and  all  the  peltry  received  in 
exchange.     The  hall  was  his  summer  residence, 
and  the  place  round  which  his  grcat<;st  improve- 
ments were  made.     Here  this  singular  man  lived 
like  a  little  sovereign ;  kept  an  excellent  table  for 
strangers,  und  ofiicers,  whom  the  course  of  their 


•r^' 


^■n- 


V. 


196 


MEMOIRS  OF 


i! 


duty  now  frequently  led  into  these  wilds,  and  by 
confiding  entirely  on  the  Indians,  and  treating 
them  with  unvaried  truth  and  justice,  without  ever 
yielding  to  solicitation  what  he  had  once  refused, 
he  taught  them  to  repose  entire  confidence  in  him ; 
he,  in  his  turn  became  attached  to  them,  wore  in 
winter  almost  entirely  their  dress  and  ornaments, 
and  contracted  a  kind  of  alliance  with  them ;  for 
becoming  a  widower  in  the  prime  of  life,  he  con- 
uccted  himself  with  an  Indian  maiden,  daughter  to 
u  sachem,  who  possessed  an  uncommonly  agreeable 
person,  and  good  understanding :  and  whether  ever 
formally  married  to  him  according  to  our  usage, 
or  not,,  contrived  to  live  with  him  in  great  union 
and  fiifecticn  all  his  life.  So  perfect  was  his  de- 
pendance  on  those  people,  whom  his  fortitude  and 
other  manly  virtues  had  attached  to  him,  that  when 
ihey  returned  from  their  summer  excursions,  and 
exchanged  the  last  year's  furs  for  fire-arms,  &c. 
they  used  to  pass  a  few  days  at  the  castle  ;  when 
his  family  and  most  of  his  domestics  were  down  at 
the  hall.  There  they  were  all  liberally  entertain- 
ed by  their  friend ;  and  five  hundred  of  them  have 
been  known,  for  nights  togetlier,  after  drinking 
pretty  freely,  to  lie  around  him  on  the  floor,  while 
he  was  the  only  white  person  in  a  house  containing 
^reat  quantities  of  every  thing  that  was  to  them 
valuable  or  desirable.  While  Sir  William  thus 
united  in  his  mode  of  life,  the  calm  urbanity  of  a 
liberal  and  extensive  trader,  with  the  splendid  hos- 
pitality, the  numerous  attendance,  and  the  plain 
though  dignified  manners  of  an  ancient  baron,  the 
iVmale  part  of  his  family  were  educated  in  a  man- 
ner so  entirely  dissimilar  from  that  of  all  other 
young  people  of  their  sex  and  station,  that  as  a 
matter  of  curiosity,  it  is  worthy  a  recital.  These 
two  young  ladies  inherited,  in  a  great  measure,  the 
personal  advantages  and  strength  of  understand- 
ing, for  which  their  father  was  so  distinguished. 
Their  mother  dying  when  they  were  young,  be- 


AN  AMERICAN  LADY. 


197 


the 


queathed  the  care  of  them  to  a  friend.     This  friend 
was  the  widow  of  an  officer  who  had  fallen  in  bat- 
tle ;  I  am  not  sure  whether  she  was  devout,  and 
shunned  the  world  for  fear  of  its  pollutions,  or  ro- 
mantic, and  despised  its  selfish  bustling    spirit: 
but  so  it  was,  that  she  seemed  utterly  to  forget  it, 
and  devoted  herself  to  her  fair  pupils.     To  these 
she  taught  needle-work  of  the  most  elegant  and 
ingenious  kinds,  reading  and  writing :  thus  qui- 
etly passed  their  childhood ;  their  monitress  not 
taking  the  smallest  concern  in  family  management, 
nor  indeed  the  lea^t  interest  in  any  worldly  thing 
but  themselves ;  far  less  did  she  inquire  about  the 
fashions  or  diversions  which  prevailed  in  a  world 
she  had  renounced ;  and  from  which  she  seemed 
to  wish  her  pupils  to  remain  for  ever  estranged. 
Never  was  any  thing  so  uniform  as  their  dress ; 
their  occupations,  and  the  general  tenor  of  their 
lives.     In  the  morning  they  rose  early,  read  their 
pi*ayer-book,  I  believe,    but  certainly  their  bible, 
fed  their  birds,  tended  their  flowers,  and  break- 
fasted ;  then  were  employed  some  hours  with  un- 
wearied perseverance,  at  fine  needle-work,  for  the 
ornamental  parts  of  dress,  which  were  the  fashion 
of  the  day,  without  knowing  to  what  use  they  were 
to  be  put,  as  they  never  wore  them :  and  had  not 
at  the  age  of  sixteen  ever  seen  a  lady,  .excepting 
each  other  and  their  governess  ;  they  then  read, 
as  long  as  they  chose,  the  voluminous  romances  of 
the  last  century  ;  of  which  their  friend  had  an  am- 
ple collection,  or  Rollin's  ancient  history,  the  only 
books  they  had  ever  seen  ;  after  dinner  they,  regu- 
larly in  summer,  took  a  long  walk  ;  or  an  excursion 
in  the  sledge,  in  winter,  with  their  friend  ;    and 
then  returned  and  resumed  their  wonted  occupa- 
tions, with  the  sole  variation  of  a  stroll  in  the  gar- 
den in  summer,  and  a  game  at  chess,  or  shuttle- 
cock, in  winter.     Their  dress  was  to  the  full  as 
simple  and  uniform  as  every  thing  else  ;  they  wore 
wrappers  of  the  finest  chhitz,  and  green  silk  pet- 


IM 


MEMOIRS  OF 


ticoats ;  and  this  the  whole  year  round  without  va- 
riation. Their  hair,  which  was  h>ng  and  beautiful) 
was  tied  behind  with  a  sintpie  ribbon  ;  a  large  ca- 
lash  shaded  each  from  the  sun,  and  in  wintei'  they 
had  long  scarlet  mantles  that  covered  them  from 
head  to  foot.  Their  father  did  not  live  with  them, 
but  visited  them  evety  day  in  their  apartment, 
This  innocent  and  uniform  life  they  led,  till  the 
death  of  their  monitress ;  which  iiappened  when 
the  eldest  was  not  quite  seventeen.  On  some  fu- 
ture occasion  I  shall  satisfy  the  curiosity  which 
this  short  but  ftuthfui  account  of  these  amiable  re- 
cluses has  possibly  excited.* 


CHAP.  XL. 


General  Abei*eroml»ie.— Lord  Howe. 


I 


MUST  now  return  to  Albany,  and  to  the  projec- 
ted expedition. 

General  Abercrombie,  who  conrnianded  on  the 
northern  lakes  was  a  brave  and  able  man,  though 
irather  too  much  attached  to  the  military  schools  of 
those  days,  to  accommodate  himself  to  the  de- 
sultory and  uncertain  warfare  of  the  woods,  where 
sagacity,  ready  presence  of  mind,  joined  with  the 
utmost  caution,  and  condescension  of  opinion  to 
our  Indian  allies,  was  of  infinitely  more  conse- 
quence th^i  rules  and  tactics,  which  were  mere 
shackles  and  incumberances  in  this  contention,  with 
difficulties  and  perplexities  more  harassing  than 
mere  danger.     Indeed  when  an  ambuscade  or  sud- 

*  These  ladies  married  offieers,  who  in  suocesaion  lived  as 
aid-de-camps  with  their  father.  Their  manners  soon  grew 
easy  :  they  readily  acquired  the  haSiiU  of  society,  and  made 
cxocUent  wives. 


AN  AMERICAN  LADY. 


199 


den  onset  was  followed  by  defeat,  hei«  (at  in  Brad- 
dock's  case)  the  result  reminded  one  of  the  rout  of 
Absalom's  army ;  where,  we  are  told,  the  wood  dc« 
voured  more  than  the  sword.  The  general  was  a  fire* 
quent  guest  with  Madame,  when  the  nature  of  his 
command  would  permit  him  to  relax  from  the  du* 
ties  that  occupied  him.  He  had  his  men  encamp^, 
ed  below  Albany,  in  that  great  field  which  I  have 
formeriy  described,  as  the  common  pasture  for  the 
town.  Many  of  the  officers  were  quartered  in  the 
fort  and  town  :  but  Lord  Howe  always  lay  in  hit 
tent,  with  the  regiment  which  he  commanded; 
and  which  he  modelled  in  such  a  manner,  that  they 
were  ever  after  cixisidered  as  an  example  to  the 
whole  American  army :  who  gloried  in  ikdopting  all 
those  rigid,  yet  salutary  regulations,  to  which  this 
young  hero  readily  submitted,  to  enforce  his  com- 
mands by  his  example. 

Above  the  pedantrv  of  holding  up  standards  of 
military  rules,  where  it  was  imposuble  to  practise 
them,  and  the  narrow  spirit  of  preferring  the  modee 
of  his  own  country  to  those  proved  by  experience 
to  suit  that  in  which  he  was  to  act»Lord  Howe  laid 
aside  all  pride  and  prejudice,  and  gratefully  accept* 
ed  counsel  from  those  whom  he  knew  to  be  best 
qualified  to  direct  him.  Madame  was  delighted 
with  the  calm  steadiness  with  whicli  he  carried 
through  the  austere  rules  which  hefouf^it  neces« 
sary  to  lay  down.  In  the  first  place  iie  fpi^yade  all 
displays  of  gold  and  scarlet,  in  the.  rugged  march 
they  were  about  to  undertake,  and  set  the  example 
by  wearing  himself  an  ammunition  coat,  that  is  to 
say,  one  of  the  surplus  soldier's  coats  cut  short. 
This  was  a  necessary  precaution;  because  in  the 
woods,  the  hostile  Iikdians,  who  started  from  belund 
the  trees,  usually  caught  at  the  long  Mid  heavy 
skirts  then  worn  by  the  soldiers ;  and  for  the  same 
reason  he  ordered  the  muskets  to  be  shortened, 
tlxat  they  might  not,  as  on  former  occasions,  be 
snatched  from  behind  by  these  agile  foes.    Tq  pre- 


200 


MEMOIRS  OF 


i 
1 


{ 


vent  the  march  of  his  regiment  from  being  descri- 
ed a  distance,  by  the  glittering  of  their  sirms,  the 
barrels  of  their  guns  were  all  blackened  ;  and  to 
save  tbem  from  the  tearing  of  bushes,  the  stings 
of  insects,  &c.  he  set  them  the  example  of  wearing 
leggans,  a  kind  of  buskin  made  of  strong  woollen 
cloth,  formerly  described  as  a  part  of  tKe  Indian 
dress.  The  greatest  privation  to  the  young  and 
vain  yet  remained.  Hair  well  dressed,  and  in  great 
quantity,  was  then  considered  as  the  greatest,  pos- 
sible ornament,  which  those  who  had  it  took  the 
utmost  care  to  display  to  advantage,  and  to  wear 
in  a  bag  or  a  queue,  which  ever  they  fancied.  Lord 
Howe's  was  fine,  and  very  abundant ;  he,  however, 
cropped  it,  and  ordered  every  one  else  to  do  the 
same.  Every  morning  he  rose  very  early,  and 
)  after  giving  his  orders,  rode  out  to  the  Flats,  break- 
fasted, and  spent  some  time  in  conversation  with 
his  friends  there  ;  and  when  in  Albany,  received  all 
manner  of  useful  information  from  the  worthy  ma- 
gistrate Cornelius  Guyler.  Another  point  which 
this  young  Lycurgus  of  the  camp  wished  to  esta- 
blish, was  that  of  not  carrying  any  thing  that  was 
not  absolutely  necessary.  An  aparatus  of  tables, 
chairs,  and  such  other  luggage  he  thought  highly 
absurd,  where  people  had  to  force  their  way  with 
unspeakable  difficulty,  to  encounter  an  enemy  free 
from  all  stich  incumberances.  The  French  had 
long  learnt  how  little  convenience  could  be  studied 
on  such  occasions  as  the  present. 

When  his  lordship  got  matters  arranged  to  his' 
satisfaction,  he  invited  his  officers  to  dine  with  him 
in  his  tent.  They  gladly  assembled  at  the  hour 
appointed  but  were  surprised  to  see  no  chairs  or 
tables ;  there  were,  however,  bear-skins,  spread 
like  a  carpet.  His  lordship  welcomed  them,  and 
sat  down  on  a  small  log  of  wood  ;  they  followed  his 
example  ;  and  presently  the  servants  set  down  a 
lai  i^e  dish  of  pork  and  pease.  His  lordship,  taking 
a  sheath  from  his  pocket,  out  of  which  he  produced 


AN  AMERICAN  LADY. 


301 


a  knife  and  fork,  began  to  cut  and  divide  the  meat. 
They  sat  in  a  kind  of  awkward  suspense,  which  he  ; 
interrupted,  by  asking  if  it  were  possible  that  sol-  \ 
diers  like  them,  who  had  been  so  long  destined  for  '' 
such  a  service,  should  not  be  provided  with  porta- 
ble implements  of  this  kind ;  and  finally  relieved 
them  from  their  embarrassment,  by  distributing 
to  each  a  case  the  same  as  his  own,  which  he  had  ■'- 
provided  for  that  purpose.  The  austere  regula- 
tions, and  constant  self-denial  which  he  imposed 
upon  the  troops  he  conmianded,  were  patiently  ^ 
borne,  because  he  was  not  only  gentle  in  his  man- 
ners, but  generous  and  humane  in  a  very  high  de- 
gree, and  exceedingly  attentive  to  the  health  and 
real  necessides  of  the  soldiery.  Among  many  in- 
stances of  this,  a  quantity  of  powdered  ginger  was 
given  to  every  man ;  and  the  sergeants,  were  or- 
dered to  see,  that  when,  in  the  course  of  marching, 
the  soldiers  arrived  hot  and  tired  at  the  banks  of 
any  stream,  they  should  not  be  permitted  to  stoop 
to  drink,  as  they  generally  inclined  to  do,  but  oblig- 
ed to  lift  water  in  their  canteens,,  and  mix  ginger 
with  it.  This  became  afterwards  a  general  prac- 
tice ;  and  in  those  aguish  swamps,  through  which 
the  tiH)ops  were  forced  to  march,  was  the  mteans  of 
saving  many  lives.  Aunt  Schuyler,  as  this  amia- 
ble young  officer  familiarly  styled  his  maternal 
Mend,  had  the  utmost  esteem  for  him;  and  the 
greatest  hope  that  he  would  at  som^  future  period 
redress  all  those  evils  that  had  formerly  impeded 
the  service  ;  and  perhaps  plant  the  British  standard 
on  the  walls  of  Quebec.  But  this  honour  another 
young  hero  was  destined  to  achieve ;  whose  virtues 
were  to  be  illustrated  by  the  splendour  of  victory, 
the  only  light  by  which  the  multitude  can  see  the 
merits  of  a  soldier. 

The  Schuylers  regarded  this  expedition  with  a 
mixture  of  doubt  and  misery,  knowing  too  well, 
from  the  sad  retrospect  of  former  failures,  how 
Uttle  valour  and  discipline  availed  where  regular 


'303 


MEMOIRS  OF 


V- 


troops  had  to  encounter  with  unseen  foes,  and  with 
difficulties  arising  from  the  nature  of  the  ground, 
for  which  military  science  afforded  no  remedy.  Of 
General  Abercrombie's  worth  and  valour  they  had 
the  highest  opinion  ;  but  they  had  no  opinion  of  at- 
tacking an  enemy  so  subtle  and  experienced  on 
their  own  ground,  in  entrenchments,  and  this  they 
feared  he  would  have  the  temerity  to  attempt.  In 
the  mean  time  preparations  were  making  for  the 
attempt.  The  troops  were  marched  in  detach- 
ments past  the  FlatSy  and  each  detachment  quar- 
tered for  a  night  on  the  common,  or  in  the  offices.. 
One  of  the  first  of  these  was  commanded  by  Lee, 
of  frantic  celebrity,  who  afterwards,  in  the  Ame- 
rican war,  joined  the  opponents  of  government, 
and  was  then  a  captain  in  the  British  service- 
Captain  Lee  had  neglected  to  bring  the  customary 
warrants  for  impressing  horses  and  oxen,  and  pro* 
curing  a  sup|)ly  of  various  necessaries,  to  be  paid 
for  by  the  agents^  of  government  on  showing  the 
usual  documents ;  he,  however,  seized  every  thing 
he  wanted  where  he  could  most  readily  find  it,  as 
if  he  were  in  a  conquered  country  ;  and  not  con- 
tent with  this  violence,  poured  forth  a  volley  of  exe- 
crations on  those  who  presumed  to  question  his 
right  of  appropriating  for  his  troops  every  thing 
that  could  be  serviceable  to  them :  even  Madame, 
accustomed  to  universal  respect,  and  to  be  con- 
sidered as  the.friend  and  benefactress  of  the  army, 
Was  not  spared  ;  and  the  aids  which  she  never  failed 
to  bestow  on  those  whom  she  saw  about  to 
expose  their  lives  for  the  general  defence,  were 
rudely  demanded,  or  violently  seized.  Never 
did  the  genuine  Christianity  of  this  exalted  cha- 
racter shine  more  brightly  than  in  this  exigency  j 
her  countenance  never  altered,  and  she  used  every 
argument  to  restrain  the  rage  of  her  domestics, 
and  the  clamour  of  her  neighbours,  who  were 
treated  in  the  same  manner.  Lee  marched  on,  after 
having  done  all  the  mischief  in  his  power,  and  was 


AN  AMERICAN  LADY. 


sod 


the  next  day  succeeded  by  Lord  Howe,  who  was  in- 
dignant on  hearing  what  hud  happened,  and  astonish- 
ed at  the  calmness  with  which  Madame  bore  the 
treatment  she  had  received.  She  soothed  him  by 
telling  him,  that  she  knew  too  well  the  value  of 
protection  from  a  danger  so  imminent,  to  grow 
captious  with  her  deliverers  on  account  of  a  single 
instance  of  irregularity,  and  only  regretted  that 
they  should  have  deprived  her  of  her  wonted  plea- 
sure, in  freely  bestowing  whatever  could  advance 
the  sendee,  or  refresh  the  exhausted  troops.  They 
had  a  long  and  very  serious  conversation  that  night. 
In  the  morning  his  lordship  proposed  setdng  out 
very  early ;  but  when  he  rose  was  astonished  to  find 
Madame  waiting,  and  breakfast  ready :  he  smiledy 
and  said  he  would  not  disappoint  her,  as  it  was  hard 
to  say  when  he  might  again  breakfast  with  a  lady. 
Impressed  with  an  unaccountable  degree  of  con- 
cern about  the  fate  of  the  enterprise  in  which  he 
was  embarked,  she  again  repeated  her  counsels 
and  her  cautions ;  and  when  he  was  about  to  depart, 
embraced  him  with  the  affection  of  a  mother,  and 
shed  many  tears,  a  weakness  which  she  did  not  of- 
ten give  way  to. 

Meantime,  the  best  prepared  and  disciplined 
body  of  forces  that  had  ever  been  assembled  in 
America,  were  proceeding  on  an  enterprise,  that, 
to  the  experience  and  sagacity  of  the  Schuylers, 
appeared  a  hopeless,  or,  at  least,  a  very  desperate 
oue.  A  general  gloom  overspread  the  family ;  this, 
at  all  times  large,  was  now  augmented  by  several 
of  the  relations  both  of  the  Colonel  and  Madame, 
who  had  visited  them  at  that  time,  to  be  nearer  the 
scene  of  action,  and  get  the  readiest  and  most  au- 
thentic intelligence ;  for  the  apprehended  conse- 
quence of  a  defeat  was,  the  pouring  in  of  the  French 
troops  into  the  interior  of  the  province  ;  in  which 
case  Albany  might  be  abandoned  to  the  enraged 
savages  attending  the  French  army. 

In  the  aftemcoa  n  man  was  seen  coming  on  horse- 


204 


MEMOIRS  OF 


back  from  the  north,  galloping  violently,  "vrithout 
his  hat.  Pcdrom,  as  he  was  familiarly  called,  the 
colonel's  only  surviving  brother,  was  with  her,  and 
ran  instantly  to  inquire,  well  knowing  he  rode  ex- 
press. The  man  galloped  on,  crying  out  that  Lord 
Howe  was  killed.  The  mind  of  our  good  aunt  had 
been  so  engrosssed  by  her  anxiety  and  fears  for  the 
event  impending,  and  so  impressed  by  the  merit 
and  magnanimity  of  her  favourite  hero,  that  her 
wonted  firmness  sunk  under  this  stroke,  and  she 
broke  out  into  bitter  lamentations.  This  had  such 
an  effect  on  her  friends  and  domestics,  that  shrieks 
and  sobs  of  anguish  echoed  through  every  part  of 
the  house.  Even  those  who  were  too  young  or  too 
old  to  enter  into  the  public  calamity,  were  affected 
by  the  violent  grief  of  aunt,  who,  in  general,  had 
too  much  self-command  to  let  others  witness  her 
sorrows.  Lord  Howe  was  shot  from  behind  a  tree, 
probably  by  some  Indian  :  and  the  whole  army  were 
inconsolable  for  a  loss  they  too  well  knew  to  be  ir- 
reparable. This  stroke,  however,  they  soon  found 
to  be  "  portent  and  paip,  a  menace  and  a  blow ;" 
but  this  dark  prospect  was  cheered  for  a  moment 
by  a  deceitful  gleam  of  hope,  which  only  added  to 
the  bitterness  of  disappointment. 


CHAP.  XLI. 


Total  Defeat  of  Ticonderow.— General   Lee.— Humanity  of 

MudHme. 

X  HE  next  day  they  heard  the  particulars  of  the 
skirmish,  for  it  could  scarce  be  called  p  regular  en- 
gagement, which  hud  proved  fatal  to  the  young 
warrior,  whose  loss  was  so  deeply  felt.  The  army 
had  cit>ssed  lake  George,  in  siityty,  on  the  5th  ol 


V 


AN  AMERICAN  LADY. 


.<*.  ■ 


201 


without 
led,  the 
her,  and 
ode  ex- 
at  Lord 
lunt  had 
s  tor  the 
le  merit 
that  her 
and  she 
kad  such 
t  shrieks 
\f  part  of 
ig  or  too 

affected 
eral)  had 
ness  her 
id  a tree, 
•my  were 

to  be  ir- 
lon  found 
\  blow ;" 

moment 

added  to 


umRnity  ol 


ars  of  the 
gular  en- 
le  young 
The  army 
the  3th  ol 


July,  and  landed  without  opposition.  They  pro- 
ceedcd  in  four  columns  to  Ticonderoga,  and  dis- 
played a  spectacle  unprecedented  in  the  New  World. 
An  army  of  sixteen  thousand  men,  regulars,  and 
provincials,  with  a  train  of  artilleiy,  and  all  the 
necessary  provisions  for  an  active  campaign  or  re- 
gular'siege,  followed  by  a  little  fleet  of  bateaux, 
pontoons,  &c.  They  set  out  wrong,  however,  by 
not  having  Indian  guides,  who  are  alone  to  be  de- 
pended on  in  such  a  place.  In  a  short  time  the 
columns  fell  in  upon  each  other,  and  occasioned 
much  confusion.  While  they  marched  on  in  this 
bewildered  manner,  the  advanced  guard  of  the 
French  which  had  retired  before  them,  were  equally 
bewildered,  and  falling  in  with  them  in  this  confu- 
sion, a  skifmish  ensued,  in  which  the  French  lost 
abov.e  three  hundred  men,  and  we,  though  success- 
ful, lost  as  much  as  it  was  possible  to  lose,  in  one  ; 
for  here  it  was  that  Lord  Howe  fell. 

The  fort  is  in  a  situation  of  peculiar  natural 
strength  j  it  lies  on  a  little  peninsula,  with  lake 
George  on  one  side,  and  a  narrow  opening,  com- 
municating with  Lake  Champlain,  on  the  other. '  It 
is  surrounded  by  water  on  three  sides ;  and  in  front 
there  is  a  swamp,  very  easily  defended ;  and  where 
it  ceased  the  French  had  made  abreast-work  above 
eight  feet  high ;  not  content  with  this,  they  had 
felled  immense  trees  on  the  spot,  and  laid  them 
heaped  on  each  other,  with  their  branches  outward, 
before  their  works.  In  fine,  there  was  no  place  on 
earth  where  aggression  was  so  difficult,  and  de- 
fence so  easy,  as  in  these  woovls  ;  especially  when, 
as  in  this  case,  the  party  to  be  attacked  had  great 
leisure  to  prepare  their  defence.  On  this  impene- 
trable front  they  had  also  a  line  of  cannon  mounted ; 
while  the  difHculty  of  bringing  artillery  through 
this  swampy  ground,  near  enough  to  bear  upon  tho 
place,  was  unbpeakablo.  This  garrison,  almost 
impregnable  from  situation,  was  defended  by  be- 
tween four  and  five  thousand  men.     An  engineer, 

T 


206 


MEMOIRS  Ot 


♦t 


'i 


j  ■  f  I  ■ 


sent  to  reconnoitre,  was  of  opinion  that  it  miglit 
be  attacked  without  waiting  for  the  artillery.  The 
fatal  resolution  was  taken  without  consulting  those 
who  were  best  qualified  to  judge.  An  Indian  or 
native  American  were  here  better  skilled  in  the  na- 
ture of  the  ground,  and  probabilities  of  success. 
They  knew  better,  in  short,  what  the  spade, 
hatchet,  or  musket  could  or  could  not  do,  in  such 
situations,  than  the  most  skilful  reteran  from  £u- 
ix)pe,  however  replete  with  military  science.  In- 
deed, when  system  usurps  the  province  of  plain 
sound  sense  in  unknown  exigencies,  the  result  is 
seldom  favourable  ;  and  this  truth  was  never  more 
fatally  demonstrated  than  in  the  course  of  the  Ame- 
rican war,  where  an  obstinate  adherence  to  regular 
tactics,  which  do  not  bend  to  time  or  place,  occa- 
sioned, from  first  to  last,  an  incalculable  waste  of 
blood,  of  treasure,  and  of  personal  courage.  The 
resolution  then  was  to  attack  the  enemy  without  loss 
of  time,  and  even  without  waiting  for  arvillery. 
Alas  !  "  What  have  not  Britons  dared  i" 

I  caimot  enter  into  the  dreadful  detail  of  what 
followed ;  certainly  never  was  infatuation  equal  to 
this.     The  forty-second  regiment  was  then  in  the 
height  of  deserved  reputation;  in  which  there  was 
not  a  private   man  that  did  not  consider  himself 
as  rather  above  the  lower  class  of  people,  and  pe- 
culiarly bound  to  support  the  honour  of  the  very 
singular  corps  to  which  he  belonged.     This  brave 
hard-fated  regiment  was  then  conmianded  by  a  ve- 
teran of  great  experience  and  military  skill,  Colo- 
nel Gordon  Grahuni,  who  had  the  first  point  of  at- 
tack assigned  to  him  :  he  was  wounded  at  the  first 
onset*     How  many  this  regiment,  in  particular,  lost 
of  men  and  oflieers,  I  cannot  now  exactly  say ;  but 
these  were  very  many.     What  I  distinctly  remem- 
ber, having  oiten  heard  of  it  since,  is,  that,  of  the 
survivors,  every  one  officer  retired   wounded  off 
the  field.     Of  the  fifty-fifth  regiment,  to  which  n»y 
father  had  newly  been  attached,  ten  officers  were 


\\ 


V 

i 


AN  AMERICAN  LADY. 


207 


killed)  inclucfing  all  the  field  officers.    No  human 
beings  could  show  more  determined  courage  than 
this  brave  army  did.     Standing  four  hours  under  a 
constant  discharge  of  cannon  and  musketry  from 
barricades,  on  which  it  was  impossible  foY*  them  to 
make  the  least  impression.    General  Abercrombie 
saw  the  fruitless  waste  of  blood  that  was  every  hour 
increasing,  and  ordered  a  retreat,  which  was  very 
precipitate,  so  much  so,  that  they  crossed  the  lake 
and  regained  their  camp  on  the  other  side  the  same 
night.     Two  thousand  men  were  killed,  wounded, 
or  taken  on  this  disastrous  day.     On  the  next,  those 
most  dangerously  wounded  were  sent  forward  in 
boats,  and  reached  the  Flats  before  evening  ;  they 
in  a  manner  brought  (at  least  confirmed)  the  news 
of  the  defeat.  Madame  had  her  barn  instantly  fitted 
up  into  atemporary  hospital,  and  a  room  in  her  house- 
allotted  for  the  surgeon  who  attended  the  patients  ; 
among  these  was  Lee,  the  same  insolent  and  rapa- 
cious Lee,  who  had  insulted  this  general  benefac- 
tress, and  deprived  her  of  one  of  her  greatest  plea- 
sures, that  of  giving  a  share  of  every  thing  she  hat^ 
to  advance  the  service.     She  treated  him  with  com- 
passion, without  adverting,  by  the  least  hint,  to  the 
p.ist.     She  tore  up  her  sheets  and  table  linen  for 
bandages,  and  she  and  her  nieces  were  constantly  em- 
ployed in  attending  and  cheering  the  wounded,  while 
all  her  domestics  were  busied  in  preparing  food  and 
every  thing  necessary  for  those  unhappy  suff'erers. 
Even  Lee    felt   and   acknowledged  the   resistless 
force  of  such  generous  humanity.     He  swore,  in 
his  vehement  manner,  that  he  was  sure  there  would 
be  a  place  reserved  for  Madame  in  heaven,  though 
no  othe;  woman  should  be  there,  and  that  he  should 
wish  for  nothing  better  than  to  share  her  final  des- 
tiny.    The  active  industrious  beneficence  she  exer- 
cised at  this  time,  not  only  towards  the  wounded, 
but  the  wretched  widows  and  orphans  who  had  re- 
mained here,  and  had  lost  their  all  in  their  husbands 
luid  parents,  was  beyond  praise,    Could  I  clearly 


fi 


f 


'  T 


,     .»■ 


/    " 


■  V 


208 


MEMOIRS  OV 


recollect  and  arrange  the  anecdotes  of  this  period, 
aiS  I  have  often  heard  them,  they  would  of  them> 
selves  fill  a  volume  ;  yfiice  it,  that  such  was  the 
veneration  in  which  sUe  was  held  in  the  army  after 
this  period,  that  I  recollect,  amongt  the  earliest  im- 
pressions received  in  my  mind,  that  of  a  profound^ 
reverence  for  Madame,  as  these  people  were  wont 
to  call  her.  Before  I  ever  saw  her  I  used  to  think 
of  her  as  a  most  august  personage,  of  a  majestic 
presence,  bitting  on  an  elevated  seat,  and  scatter- 
ing bounty  to  wounded  soldiers,  and  poor  women 
and  children. 


CHAP.  XLII.  *V 

The  fiftmily  of  Madame's  Giater.-rThe  death  of  the  latter. 

i\UNT  found  consolation  for  all  her  sorrows  in 
the  family  of  her  favourite  sister.  The  promise  of 
uncommon  merit,  which  appeared  in  the  rising 
branches  of  that  singularly  fine  family,  was  to  her  a 
peculiar  gratification  ;  for  no  mother  could  love  her 
own  children  more  tenderly  than  she  did  them. — 
The  two  daughters,  which  were  amongst  the  eld- 
est, passed,  by  turns,  much  of  their  time  with  her, 
and  were,  from  their  beauty  and  their  manners,  the 
ornaments  of  her  society ;  while  their  good  sense, 
ripened  by  being  called  early  into  action,  made 
these  amiable  and  elegant  young  women  more  a 
comfort  and  assistance  than  a  care  or  charge  to  their 
aunt,  at  a  very  early  period.  They  had  four  broth- 
ers; three  of  whom  are  still  living,  and  have, 
through  life,  done  honour  by  their  virtues,  their 
manners,  and  their  conduct,  m  the  most  trying  exi- 
gencies, to  the  memory  and  example  of  their  excel- 
lent parents,  as  well  as  to  that  collateral  school  of 


'     4. 


AN  AMERICAN  LADY. 


209 


pure  morality,  and  sound  and   genuine  policy,  of 
which  they  shared  the  benefit. 

The  history  of  this  family,  in  the  after  vicissitudes 
in  which  the  political  changes  in  their  country  in- 
volved them,  would  furnish  a  very  interesting  de- 
tail, were  it  allowable  to  offend  the  delicacy  of  mo- 
dest worth,  or  eligible  to  expose  the  depravity  and 
fury  of  enraged  factions.  Of  the  brothers  I  shall 
only  mention,  that  the  third,  in  his  childhood,  show- 
ed uncommon  fire  and  vivacity  ;  not  seeming  to 
retain  the  smallest  portion  of  that  hereditary  phlegm 
which  could  still  be  easily  traced  through  many  of 
the  settlers  of  this  peculiar  colony.  He  could  scarce 
be  called  an  unlucky  boy,  for  he  never  did  hamt 
designedly;  yet  he  was  so  volatile,  eccentric,  and 
origirtal  hi  the  frolicsome  excursions  of  his  fancy, 
that  many  ludicrous  and  some  serious  consequences 
resulted  from  them.  He  showed,  however,  amidst 
all  these  gaieties,  from  a  very  early  age,  a  steady 
and  determined  predilection  towards  a  military  life, 
which  u)  due  time  was  indulged,  and  has  been  since 
the  means  of  leading  him  on  to  rank  and  distinc- 
tion in  the  British  service.*  Of  the  eldest  brother 
I  shall  have  occasion  to  speak  hereafter ;  the  se- 
cond and  youngest  were  zculons  partizans  of  go- 
vernment at  the  time  of  Che  revolution.  Their  loy- 
alty occasioned  the  loss  of  their  fortunes  and  their 
homes ;  but  their  worth  and  bravery  procured  them 
confidence  and  important  commands  in  that  painful 
service  which  was  carried  on  during  the  American 
war,  at  the  end  of  which  they  were  partially  reward- 
ed by  grants  of  land  in  upper  Canada.  Loyalty 
and  courage  seems  hereditary  in  this  family.  Ma-» 
ny  sons  of  those  expatriated  brothers  are  now  serv- 
uig  their  country  in  different  p-irts  of  the  empire, 
undeterred  by  the  losses  and  sufferings  of  their  pa- 


*  The  capture  of  Tobagfo  was  achieved  by  {ifenci*al  C— r,  who 
has  for  near  forty  yi-ai's  been  engaged  iit  the  most  active  anil 
huvuurUous  Ueiturtiucnts  oHhe  fioi'vtce. 

*      1*  •  • 


r:  -''^ 


"■"-5.    -^t. 
■1-       tj^.- 


>'• 


210 


MEMOIRS  OF 


I"  I 


rents  in  the  royal  cause.  It  was  a  marked  distinc- 
tion of  character  to  be  observed  in  the  conduct  of 
aunt's  protegees,  that  though  she  was  equally  at- 
tached to  the  children  of  her  husband's  relations 
and  her  own,  these  latter  only  adopted  her  political 
sentiments,  with  a  single  exception,  which  shall  be 
mentioned  in  its  place. 

The  defeat  at  Ticonderogabore  very  hard  upon 
the  mind  of  Madame  ;  public  spirit  was  always  an 
SiCtive  principle  in  her  strong  and  reflecting  mind  ; 
and  from  the  particular  circumstances  in  which  she 
had  always  been  involved,  her  patriotism   gained 
strength  by  exercise.     The  same  ardent  concern 
for  the  public  good,  which  could  produce  no  other 
effect  but  fruitless  anxiety,  would  be  as  unavailing 
as  unnecessary,  in  our  secure  and  ti^anquil  state ; 
but  with  her  it  was  an  exercised  and  useful  virtue. 
Her  attachment  to  the  British  nation,  which  was  to 
the  very  last  a  ruling  principle  both  of  her  actions 
and  opinions,  contributed  to  embitter  this  blow  to 
her  and  her  family.    The  taking  of  Frontinac  on 
the  western  lakes,  and  the  re -establishment  of  our 
power  in  that  important  quarter,  were  achieved  by 
general  Bradstreet,  whom  Abercrombie  dispatched 
at  the  head  of  three  thousand  provincials.     This 
was  a  cordial  much  wanted  by  all,  and  more  partic- 
ularly gratifying  to  the  family  at  the  Flats,  as  the 
colonel's  nephew,  Philip  Schuyler,  though  his  waa 
not  exactly  a  warlike  department,  had  evinced  much 
spirit,  prudence,  and  resolution  during  that  expe- 
dition ;  in  which,  without  publicly  arrogating  com- 
mand, he,  under  Bradstreet,  (who  was  indeed  a  very 
ible  man,)  directed  most  of  the  operations.     In  th« 
mind  of  tins  extraordinary  person,  qv  <l>,ues,  suitea 
to  all  occasions,  lay  rorniant  and  unsuspected,  till 
called  forth  V)y  the  varying  events  of  his  busy  though 
uot  buhtling  life  ;  for  he  seemed  to  carry  on  the 
plans,  public  and  private,  which  he  executed  with 
superior  ability  and  success^  by  mere  volition.     No' 
on^  ever  saw  him  appear  hurried,  embarrassed,  or 


AN  AMERICAN  LADV. 


2\\ 


agitated.  The  success  of  this  expedition,  and  the 
rising  distinction  of  her  nephew  Philip,  was  some 
consolation  to  Madame  for  the  late  disaster.  "Still 
friendly  and  hospitable,  she  was  as  kindly  disposed 
towards  the  British  as  ever,  and  as  indefatigable  in 
promoting  a  good  understanding  between  them  and 
the  natives  ;  but  the  army  was  now  on  a  larger 
scale.  It  was  in  a  manner  regularly  organized,  and 
more  independent  of  such  aid  as  individuals  could 
bestow ;  and  the  many  children  educated  by  her, 
or  left  orphans  to  her  care,  became  from  their  num- 
ber, their  marriages,  and  various  pursuits,  objects 
of  more  earnest  solicitude. 

At  this  period  aunt  Schuyler,  now  every  where 
spoken  of  by  that  affectionate  designation,  met  with 
a  severe  affliction  in  the  death  of  a  sister,  whom  she 
had  always  loved  with  more  than  common  tender- 
ness, and  whose  family  she  considered  in  a  manner 
as  her  own.  This  was  Mrs.  Cuyler,  the  wife  of 
that  able  and  upright  magistrate,  Cornelius  Cuyler, 
of  whose  family  I  have  just  been  giving  some  ac- 
count., Mrs.  Cuyler,  with  a  character  more  gentle 
and  retiring,  possessed  the  good  sense  and  benevo- 
lence for  which  aunt  was  distinguished,  though  her 
sphere  of  action  being  entirely  within  the  limits  of 
her  own  family,  she  could  not  be  so  well  known,  or 
so  much  celebrated.  The  colonel  had  always  had 
a  great  attachment  to  this  valuable  person ;  which 
still  more  endeared  her  to  his  widow.  She  how- 
ever always  found  new  duties  resulting  from  her 
afflictions,  so  that  she  could  not  afibrd  to  sink  un- 
der them.  She  now  was  at  pains  to  console  hey 
sister's  husband,  who  really  seemed  borne  down  by 
this  stroke ;  and  the  exertions  she  made  for  the 
good  of  his  singularly  promising  family,  kept  her 
mind  occupied.  -     .- 


■i!-. 

4' 

1 

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^12 


MEMOIRS  OF 


*-■. 


CHAP.  XLIII. 


Further  success  of  the  British  Arms.— A  Missionary.— Cort- 

landt  Schuyler. 

1  HE  conquest,  of  Oswego,  which  was  this  year 
(1759)  retaken  from  the  French  by  General  Brad- 
street,  contributed  to  revive  the  drooping  spirits 
of  the  army  and  the  patriots ;  and  it  was  quickly 
succeeded  by  the  dear-bought  conquest  of  Quebec; 
Though  Madame  had  never  seen  General  Wolfe, 
she  shared  the  general  admiration  of  his  heroism, 
and  the  general  sorrow  for  his  loss,  in  a  very  hi:;h 
degree.  She,  too,  was  conscious,  that  the  scciuiiy 
and  tranquillity  purchased  by  the  conquest  of  Que- 
bec, would,  in  a  manner,  loosen  the  bonds  wiiirh 
held  the  colonists  attached  to  a  government  wi  ich 
they  only  endured  while  they  required  its  protec- 
tion. This  led  to  consequences  which  she  too  clcur- 
ly  foresaw 

The  mind  of  Mrs.  Schuyler,  which  had  been 
greatly  agitated  by  the  sad  events  of  Ticondcroi^a, 
now  began,  in  consequence  of  the  successes,  to  be- 
come more  composed,  and  turn  itself  to  objects 
of  utility,  as  formerly.  What  she  had  done,  and 
made  others  do,  for  the  orphans  and  widows  that 
hud  become  such  in  consf.quence  of  the  attack  on 
the  lines,  couid  scarce  be  credited.  No  one  would 
suppose  a  moderate  fortune  like  her's  could  pos- 
sibly be  equal  to  it.  She  had  at  this  time  too  much 
satisfaction  in  seeing  the  respective  churches,  (in 
all  which  she  was  deeply  hiterested,)  filled  with 
persons  who  did  honour  to  their  profession.  A 
young  clergyman  named  Westcrloe,  succeeded 
Dominc  FrcyUnghuusen,  after  an  interval  of  three 
or  four  years,  during  which  the  charge  was  irregu- 
larly filled.  This  young  man  had  learning,  talent, 
and  urbanity ;   he  had  all  the  sanctity  of  life  uml 


AN  AMERICAN  LADY. 


3ia 


animated  eloquence  of  his  predecessor  without  hi» 
love  of  power,  his  bustling  tum«  or  his  eagerness 
for  popularity ;  he  yngxs  indeed  a  person  of  very 
singular  merit,  but  studious  and  secluded,  and  un- 
willing  to  mix  with  strangers.  To  Madame,  how- 
ever, he  was  open  and  companionable,  and  knew 
and  valued  the  attractions  of  her  convertetion.  .Dr. 
Ogilvie  was  the  English  Episcopal  miinister,  whoy 
under  the  name  of  Indian  missionary,  and  with  a 
salary  allowed  him  as  such,  had-tbe  charge  of  per- 
forming duty  in  a  church  erected  for  that  purpose 
in  town,  to  strangers,  and  such  of  the  military  as 
chose  to  attend.  The  Christian  Indians,  who 
were  his  particular  charge,  lived  at  too  great  a 
distance  to  benefit  by  hi%  lid>ours.  The  province^ 
however,  allowed  a  salary  to  a  zealous  preacher, 
who  laboured  among  them  with  apostolic  fervouri 
and  with  the  same  disregard  to  the  things  of  thii 
world.  Dr.  Ogilvie  V^  highly  respected,  and  u> 
deed  much  beloved  by  all  who  were  capable  of 
appreciating  his  merit.  •^  His  appearance  was  sin« 
gularly  prepossessing ;  his  address  and  manners 
entirely  those  of  a  gentleman.  His  abilities  were 
respectable,  his  doctrine  was  pure  and  scriptural, 
and  his  life  exemplary,  both  as  a  clergyman  and  in 
his  domestic  circle,  where  he  was  peculiarly  amiap 
ble ;  add  to  all  this  a  talent  for  conversation,  ex* 
tensive  reading,  and  a  thorough  knowledge  of  life. 
The  Doctor  was  indeed  a  man  after  Madame's 
own  heart ;  and  she  never  ceased  regretting  his  de- 
parture to  New- York,  where  he  was  settled  two 
years  after;  For  Stuart*  she  had  the  utmost  vene- 
ration. Perfectly  calculated  for  his  austere 'and 
uncourtly  duties,  he  was  wholly  devoted  to  them, 
and  scarce  cast  a  look  back  to  that  world  which  he 
had  forsaken.  Yet  he  was,  on  various  accounts, 
highly  valued  by  Madame ;  for  since  the  appoint- 
ment of  the  superintendant,  and  more  particularly 

*  A  pious  mistionRry  in  the  Mohawk  eountry. 


,*  V. 


2U 


MEMOIRS  OF 


i 


! 


w 


n 


ttincc  the  death  of  the  colonel^  he  became  "more 
Important  to  her,  as  the  link  which  held  her  to  the 
Mohawks,  whom  she  now  bww  so  much  more  sel- 
dom,  but  always  continued  to  love.     The  compre- 
hension of  her  mind  was  so  grout,  and  her  desire 
for  knowledge  so  strong,  that  she  found  much  en- 
tertainment in  ti'acing  the  unfoldings  of  the  hu- 
man mind  in  its  native  state,  and  the  grnftuul  pro- 
gress of  intellect  when  enlightened  by  tl\c  gentle 
influence  of  pure  religion ;  and  this  fcood  Father 
of  the  (tesarts  gratified  her  more  by  U.p  details  he 
was  enabled  to  give  of  the  progress  of  devotion 
and  of  mind  among  his  little  tlock,  than  he  could 
have  done  by  all  that  learning  or  knowledge  of  the 
world  can  bestow.     Again  the  Flats  began  to  be 
the  resort  of  the  best  society.     She  had  also  her 
nephews   ui   succession ;   one,  a  brother   of  that 
Philip  so  often  mentioned,  "^incc  better  known  to 
ihe  world  by  the  appellation  of  General  Schuyler, 
had  been  long  about  the  family*     He  was  a  youth 
distinguished  for  the  gracefulness  of  his  person, 
and  the  symmetry  of  his  features,     lie  was  a  per- 
fect model  of  manly  beauty,  though  almost  as  dark 
as  an  Indian.     Indeed,  both  in  looks  and  character, 
he  greatly  resembled  the  aborigines  of  the  country. 
He  seemed  perfectly  unconscious  of  the  extraor- 
dinary personal  advantages  which  he  possessed ; 
was  brave,  honourable,  and  possessed  a  very  good 
understanding,  but  collected  within  himself;  si- 
lent, yet  eloquent  when  he  chose*  to  interest  him- 
self, or  was  warmed  by  the  occasion  ;  and  had  such 
stainless  probity,    that  every   one  respected  and 
trusted  him.     Yet  he  was  so  very  indifferent  lo  the 
ordinary  pleasures  and  pursuits  of  life,  and  so  en- 
tirely devoted  to  the  sports  of  the  field,  that  when 
his  aunt  afterwards  procured  him  a  commission  in 
a  marching  regiment,    hoping  thus  to  tame   and 
brighten  him,  he    was   known  in  Ireland  by  the 
name  of  the  handsome  savage.     This  title  did  not 
belong  to  him  in  the  sense  we  most  often  use  it  in ; 


f%' 


■  s. 


AN  AMERICAN  LADY. 


vyvS)l4f 


for  his  manners  were  not  rude  and  harsh  m  the 
least,  thou((h  an  air  of  cold  austerity^  which  shaded 
his  iino  countenuncc,  with  his  delight  in  solitary 
amusements,  led  the  gay  and  social  inhabitants  of  , 
the  country  in  which  he  resided,  to  consider  him  as 
unwillingly  rescued  from  his  native  forests.  This 
youth  was  named  Cortlandt,  and  will  be  more  par- 
ticularly mentioned  hereafter.  That  eccentric  uiid 
frolicsome  boy,  whose  humorous  sallies  and  playful 
flights  were  a  continual  source  of  amusement^  was 
also  a  frequent  guest,  but  did  not  stay  so  long  as 
his  elder  brother,  who  certainly  was,  of  all  auitt's 
adopted,  the  greatest  favourite,  and  became  more 
endeared  to  her,  from  being  less  successful  in  life 
than  the  rest  of  his  family. 

Ill  a  council  held  between  their  relations  and 
Madame,  it  was  decided  that  both^  Cortlandt  and 
Cornelius  should  try  their  fortune  in  'arms.     Cor  - 
landt  was  made  an  ensign  in  an  old  regiment,  and 
went  over  to  IrclUnd.    Cornelius,  a  year  after,  got 
a  commission  in  the  55th,  then  commanded  by  that 
singularly  worthy  and  benevolent  character  Sir 
AdolphuB  Oughton.     The  mayor  was  highly  res- 
pected for  his  wisdom  ;  yet  his  purchasing  a  com- 
mission for  so  mere  a  boy,  and  laying  out  for  it  a 
sum  of  money  which  appeared  large  in  a  country 
where  people  contrived  to  do  very  well  with  won- 
derfully littlo  of  that  article,  astonished   all   his 
countrymen.     Conscious,  however,  of  his  son's  mi- 
litary genius,  and  well  knowing  that  the  viracity 
that  filled  his  grave  kinsmen  with  apprehension, 
was   merely  a  lambent  flame  of  youthful  gaiety, 
which  would  blaze  without  scorching,  he  fearless- 
ly launched  him  into  a  profession  in  which  he  hop- 
ed to  sec  him  attain  merited  distinction.     While 
the  excellent  patroness  of  all-  these  young  people 
had  the  satisfaction  of  seeing  every  one  bronght 
up  under  her  auspices,  (and,  by  this  time,  they 
were  not  a  few,)  do  honour  to  her  instructions,  and 
fill  up  their  different  stations  in  a  manner  the  most 


V  ' . 


I   >.-. 


V 

II 


^16 


I^MOIRS  OF 


creditable  and  prosperous ;  and  she  was  often  sat- 
Tounded  by  the  children  of  those  who  had  engaged 
her  earliest  cares. 


■(•.'■ 


!  'i 

I' 


■ 


It.  1 


if 

|:! 
Ill 


lit 


CHAP.  XLIV. 

IBttrniog  of  the  House  at  the  Flat*.— Madame's  remoral^— Joui'- 

ney  of  the  Authqr. 

XT  was  at  this  time,  when  she  was  in  the  very 
achme  of  her  reputation,  and  her  name  never  men- 
tioned without  some  added  epithet  of  respect  or 
affection,  that  her  house,  so  long  the  receptacle  of 
nil  that  was  good  or  intelligent,  and  the  asylum  of 
all  that  was  helpless  and  unfortunate,  was  entirely 
consumed  before  her  eyes. 

In  the  summer  of  this  year,  as  General  Brad- 
street  was  riding  by  the  Flats  one  day,  and  propos- 
ing to  call  on 'Madame,  he  saw  her  sitting  in  a 
great  chair  under  the  little  avenue  of  cherry  trees 
that  led  from  her  house  to  the  road.  All  the  way 
as  he  approached  he  saw  smoke,  and  at  last  flames, 
bursting  out  from  the  top  of  her  house.  He  was 
afraid  to  alarm  her  suddenly:  but  when  he  told 
her,  she  heard  it  with  the  utmost  composure ; 
pointed  out  the  likeliest  means  to  check  the  fire  ; 
and  ordered  the  neighbours  to  be  summoned,  and 
the  most  valuable  goods  first  removed,  without 
ever  attempting  to  go  over  the  house  herself,  when 
ehe  knew  she  could  be  of  no  service ;  but  with  the 
most  admirable  presence  of  mindf  she  sat  still  with 
a  placid  countenance,  regulating  and  ordering  eve- 
ry thing  in  the  most  judicious  manner,  and  with  as 
much  composure  as  if  she  had  nothing  to  lose. 
When  evening  came,  of  that  once  happy  mansion 
not .0;  single  beam  was  left^  and  tlie  scorched  brick 


AN  AMERICAN  LADY. 


217 


wal  s  were  all  tliat  remained  to  mark  where  it  had 
stood. 

Madame  could  not  be  said  to  be  left  without  a 
dwelling,  having  a  house  in  Albany  rather  larger 
than  the  one  thus  destroyed.  But  she  was  fondly 
attached  to  the  spot  which  had  been  the  scene  of  so 
much  felicity,  and  rendered  more  dear  to  her  by 
retaining  within  its  bounds  the  remains  of  her  be- 
loved partner.  She  removed  to  Pedrom's  house 
for  the  night.  The  news  of  what  had  happened 
spread  every  where  ;  and  she  had  the  comfort  oi 
knowing,  in  consequence  of  this  misfortune,  bet- 
ter than  she  could  by  any  other  means,  how  great 
a  degree  of  public  esteem  and  private  gratitude 
she  had  excited.  The  next  day  people  came  from 
all  quarters  to  condole,  and  ask  her  directions 
where  and  how  she  would  choose  to  have  another 
house  built.  And  in  a  few  days  the  ground  was 
covered  with  bricks,  timber,  and  other  materials, 
brought  there  by  her  friends  in  voluntary  kindness. 
It  is  to  be  observed  that  the  people  in  the  interior 
of  New- York  were  so  exceedingly  skilful  in  the 
use  not  only  of  the  axe,  but  all  ordinary  tools  used 
in  planing  and  joining  timber,  that  with  the  aid  of 
a  regular  carpenter  or  two  to  carry  on  the  nicer 
parts  of  the  work,  a  man  could  build  an  ordinary 
house,  if  it  were  a  wooden  one,  with  very  little 
more  than  his  own  domestics.  It  can  scarce  be 
credited  that  this  house,  begun  in  August,  was 
ready  for  Aunt*s  reception  against  winter,  which 
here  begins  very  early.  But  General  Bradstreet 
had  sent  some  of  the  King's  workmen,  considering 
them  as  employed  for  the  public  service,  while 
carrying  on  this  building.  The  most  unpleasant 
circumstance  about  this  new  dwelling,  was  the'me- 
lancholy  hiatus  which  appeared  in  front,  where  the 
former  large  house  had  stood,  and  where  the  deep 
and  spacious  cellars  still  yawned  in  gloomy  desola- 
tion. Madame,  who  no  longer  studied  appearance, 
but  merely  thought  of  a  temporary  accommoda' 

U 


2\8 


MEMOIRS  OP 


tion,  for  a  life  which  neither  she  nor  any  one  ex- 
pected to  be  a  long  one,  ordered  a  broad  wooden 
bridge,  like  those  we  see  over  rivers.  This  bridge 
was  furnished  with  seats  like  a  portico,  and  this 
w^ith  the  high  walls  of  the  burnt  house,  which  were 
a  kind  of  screen  before  the  new  one,  gave  the 
whole  the  appearance  of  some  ancient  ruin. 

Madame  did  not  find  the  winter  pass  comforta- 
bly. That  road,  now  that  matters  were  regularly 
settled,  was  no  longer  the  constant  resort  of  her 
military  friends.  Her  favourite  nieces  were  too  en- 
j^aging,  and  too  much  admired,  to  leave  room  to 
expect  they  should  remain  with  her.  She  found 
her  house  comparatively  cold  and  inconvenient, 
and  the  winter  long  and  comfortless.  She  could 
not  now  easily  go  the  distance  to  church.  Pedrom, 
that  affectionate  and  respected  brother,  was  now, 
by  increasing  deafness,  disqualified  from  being  a 
companion  ;  and  sister  Susan,  infirm  and  cheerless, 
was  now,  for  the  most  part,  confined  to  her  cham- 
ber. Under  these  circumstances  she  was  at  length 
prevailed  on  to  rembve  to  Albany.  The  Flats  she 
gave  in  lease  to  Pedrom*a  son  Stephen.  The  house 
and  surrounding  grounds  were  let  to  an  Irish  gen- 
tleman, who  came  over  to  America  to  be^in  a  new 
course  of  life',  after,  spending  his  fortune  in  fash- 
ionable dissipation.  On  coming  to  America,  he 
found  that  there  was  an  intermediate  state  of  hard- 
ship and  self-denial  to  be  encountered,  before  he 
could  enter  on  that  fancied  Arcadia  which  he 
thought  was  to  be  found  in  eveiy  wood.  He  set- 
tled his  family  in  this  tcmpprury  dwelling,  while 
he  went  to  traverse  the  provinces  in  search  of  some 
unforfeited  Eden,  where  the  rose  had  no  thorn,  and 
the  course  of  ceaseless  labour  had  not  begun  to 
operate.  Madame  found  reason  to  be  highly  satis- 
fied with  the  change.  She  had  mills  which  suppli- 
ed her  with  bread,  her  slaves  cut  and  brought  home 
fire  wood,  she  had  a  good  garden,  and  Iruit  and 
every  other  rural  dainty  came  to  her  in  the  great- 


AN  AMERICAN  LADY.     . 


219 


est  abundance.  All  her  former  protegees  and 
friends  in  different  quarters  delighted  to  send  their 
tribute;  and  this  was  merely  an  interchange  of 
kindness. 

Soon  after  this  removal,  her  eldest  niece,  a  re- 
markable fine  young  woman,  was  married  to  Mr. 
C.  of  C.  manor,  which  was  accounted  one  of  the 
best  matches,  or  rather  the  very  best  in  the  pro- 
vince. She  was  distinguished  by  a  figure  of  un- 
common grace  and  dignity,  a  noble  and  expressive 
countenance,  and  a  mind  such  as  her  appearance 
led  one  to  expect.  This  very  respectable  person 
is,  I  believe,  still  living,  after  witnessing,  among 
her  dearest  connexions,  scenes  the  most  distressing, 
and  changes  the  most  painful.  She  has  ever  con- 
ducted herself,  so  as  to  do  honour  to  the  excellent 
examples  of  her  mother  and  aunt,  and  to  be  a  pat- 
tern of  stedfast  truth  and  generous  friendship, 
in  exigencies  the  most  trying.  Her  younger  sister, 
equally  admired,  though  possessing  a  different  style 
of  beauty,  more  soft  and  debonair,  with  the  fairest 
complexion,  and  most  cheerful  simplicity  of  aspect, 
was  the  peculiar  favourite  of  her  aunt,  above  all 
that  ever  she  took  charge  of;  she,  too,  was  soon 
after  married  to  that  highly  esteemed  patriot  the 
late  Isaac  L.  revered,  through  the  whole  continent, 
for  his  sound  good  sense  and  genuine  public  spirit. 
He  was,  indeed,  "  happily  tempered,  mild,  and 
firm  ;'*  and  was  finally  the  victim  of  stedfast  loyalty. 

It  now  remains  to  say  how  the  writer  of  these 
pages  became  so  well  acquainted  with  the  subject 
of  these  memoirs.  ' 

IVIy  father  was  at  this  lime  a  subaltern  in  the  55th 
regiment.  That  body  of  men  were  then  stationed 
at  Oswego ;  but  during  the  busy  and  warlike  period 
I  have  been  describing,  my  mother  and  I  were 
boarded,  in  the  country,  below  Albany,  with  the 
most  worthy  people  imaginable ;  with  whom  we 
ever  after  kept  up  a  cordial  friendship.  My  father, 
■wishing  to  sec  his  family,  was  indulged  with  per- 


220 


MEMOIRS  OF 


mission,  and  at  the  same  time  ordered  to  take  the 
command  of  an  additional  company,  Tvho  were  to 
come  up,  and  to  purchase  for  the  regiment  all  thq 
stores  they  should  require  for  the  winter ;  which 
proved  a  most  extensive  commission.  In  the  month 
of  October  he  set  out  on  tliis  journey,  or  voyage 
rather,  in  which  it  was  settled  that  my  mother  and 
J  should  accompany  him.  We  were,  I  believe,  the 
lirst  females,  above  the  very  lowest  ranks,  who  had 
ever  penetrated  so  far  into  this  remote  wilderness. 
Certainly  never  was  joy  greater  than  that  which 
lulled  my  childish  mind  on  setting  out  on  this  jour- 
ney. I  had  before  seen  little  of  my  father,  and  the 
most  I  knew  of  him  was  from  the  solicitude  I  had 
'heard  expressed  on  his  account,  and  the  fear  of  his 
death  after  every  battle.  I  was,  indeed,  a  little 
ashamed  of  having  a  military  father,  brought  up 
as  I  had  mostly  been,  in  a  Dutch  family,  and  speak- 
ing that  language  as  fluently  as  my  own  ;  yet,  on 
the  other  hand,  I  had  felt  so  awkward  at  seeing  all 
my  companions  have  fathers  to  talk  and  complain 
to,  while  I  had  none,  that  I  thought  upon  the  whole 
.it  was  a  very  good  thing  to  have  a  father  of  any  kind, 
i'iie  scarlet  coat,  which  I  had  been  taught  to  con- 
sider as  the  symbol  of  wickedness,  disgusted  me 
ill  some  (legi-ee  ;  but  then,  to  my  great  comfort,  I 
found  my  father  did  not  swear ;  and  again,  to  my 
unspeakable  ilclight,  that  he  prayed.  A  soldier 
l)riiy  I  uas  it  possible  :  and  should  I  really  see  my 
lather  in  heaven  I  How  transporting !  By  a  sudden 
revolmiou  of  opinion  I  now  thought  my  father  the 
"iiost  clKunung  of  all  beings;  and  the  overflowings 
of  n\)  good  will  reached  to  the  whole  com^mny,  be- 
^uuse  ihey  wore  the  same  colour,  and  seemed  to 
•respect  and  obey  him.  I  dearly  loved  idleness  too. 
and  the  more,  because  my  motlier,  who  delighted 
iu  needle-work,  confined  me  too  much  to  it.  What 
joys  were  mine !  to  be  idle  for  a  fortnight,  seeing 
new  woods,  rivers,  and  animals,  every  day ;  even 
iiien  the  love  of  nature  was,  iji  my  young  bosoni}  a 


AN  AMERICAN  LADY. 


221 


passion  productive  of  incessant  delight.  I  had, 
too,  a  primer,  two  hymns,  and  a  ballad;  and  these 
I  read  over  and  over  with  great  diligence.  At  in- 
tervals my  attention  was  agreeably  engaged  by  the 
details  the  soldiers  gave  my  father  of  their  manner 
of  living  and  fighting  in  the  woods,  &c.  and  with 
these  the  praises  of  Madame  were  often  mingled. 
I  thought  of  her  continually;  every  great  thing  1 
heard  about  her,  even  her  size,  had  its  impression. 
She  became  the  heroine  of  my  childish  imagina- 
tion; and  I  thought  of  her  as  something  both  awful 
and  admirable.  We  had  the  surgeon  of  the  regi- 
ment, and  another  officer  with  us ;  they  talked  too 
of  Madame,  of  Indians,  of  battles,  and  of  ancient 
history.  Sitting  from  morning  to  night  musing  in 
the  boat,  contemplating  my  father,  who  appeared 
to  me  a  hero  and  a  saint,  and  thinking  of  Aunt 
Schuyler,  who  filled  up  my  whole  mind  with  the 
grandeur  with  which  my  fancy  had  invested  her  ; 
and  then  having  my  imagination  continually  amused 
with  the  'iriety  of  noble  wild  scenes  which  the 
beautiful  banks  of  the  Mohawk  afforded,  I  am  con- 
vinced I  thought  more  in  that  fortnight,  that  is  to 
say,  acquired  more  ideas,  and  took  more  lasting 
impressions,  than  ever  I  did,  in  the  same  space  of 
time,  in  my  life.  This,  however  foreign  it  may 
appear  to  my  subject,  I  mention,  as  so  far  connect- 
ing with  it,  that  it  accounts,  in  some  measure,  for 
that  development  of  thought  which  led  me  to  take 
such  ready  and  strong  impressions  from  Aunl':>  con- 
versation when  afterwards  I  knew  her. 


U2 


t. 


2Q2 


MEMOIRS  OF 


CHAP.  XLV. 

Continuation  of  the  Journey. — Arrival  at  Oswego. — Regula- 
tions, Studies,  and  Amusements  there. 


N, 


EVER,  certainly,  was  a  journey   so  replete 
with  felicity.     I  luxuriated  in  idleness  and  novelty  ; 
knowledge  was  my  delight,  and  it  was  now  pourinp; 
in  on  my  mind  from  a!!  sides.     What  a  change 
Trom  sitting  pinned  down  to  my  samplar  by  my  mo- 
ther till   the  hour  of  play,  and  then  running  wild 
with  children  as  young,  and  still  simpler  than  my- 
self.    Much  attended  to  by  all  my  fellow  travellers, 
I  was  absolutely   intoxicated  with  the   charms  of 
novelty,  and   the   sense   of  my  new-found  impor- 
tance.    The  first  day   we  came  to   Schenactady,  a 
little  town,  situated  in  a   rich  and  beautiful  spot, 
;ind  partly  supported  by  the   Indian  trade.     The 
next  day   we    embarked,  proceeded   up  the  river 
with  six  batteaux,  and  came  early  in  the  evening 
to  one  of  the  most  charming  scenes  imaginable, 
^vhcrc  Fort  Hendrick  was  built  ;  so  called,  in  com- 
pliment to  the  principal  Sachem,  or  King  of  the 
MohPAvks.     The  castle  of  this  primitive  monarch 
;>tood  at  a  little  distance,  on  a  rising  ground,  sur- 
»'ounded  by  pallisades.     He   resided,  at  the  time, 
in  a  house   which  the   public   workmen,  who   had 
latelv  built  this  fort,  had  been  ordered  to  erect  for 
]»im  in  the  vicinity.     We  did  not  fai'  to  wait  upon 
His  Majesty  ;  who,  not  choosing  to  depart  too  much 
iVom  the  customs  of  his  ancestors,  had  not  per- 
mitted divisions  of  apartments,  or   modern  furni- 
ture, to  profane  his  new  dwelling.     It  hud  the  ap- 
pearance of  a  good  barn,  and  was  divided  across  by 
a  mat  hung  in  the  middle.     King  Hendrick,  who 
had  indeed  a   very  princely   figure,  and  a  counte- 
nance that  would   not   have   dishonoured  royalty, 
was  sitting  outhv  floor  beside  a  large  heap  of  wheats 


AN  AMERICAN  LADY. 


223 


surrounded  with  baskets  of  dried  berries  of  different 
kinds  ;    beside   him,  his  son,  a  very   pretty  boy, 
soniewhat  older  than  myself,  was  caressing  a  foal, 
which  was  unceremoniously  introduced  into  the 
royal  residence.     A   laced  hat,  a  fine   saddle  and 
pistols,  gifts  of  his  good  brother  the  great  king, 
were   hung   round   on  the  cross  beams.     He  was 
splendidly  arrayed  in  a  coat  of  pale  blue,  trimmed 
with  silver  ;  all  the  rest  of  his  dress  was  of  the 
fashion  of  his  own  nation,  and  highly  embellished 
with  beads  and  other  ornaments.     All  this  suited 
my  taste  exceedingly,  and  was  level  to  my  com- 
prehension.    I  was  prepared  to  admire  King  Hen- 
drick  by  hearing  him  described  as  a  generous  war- 
rior,    terrible    to   his    enemies   and   kind   to   his 
friends  :  the  character  of  all   others  calculated  to 
make  the   deepest  impression   on  ignorant  inno- 
cence, in  a  country  where  infants  learned  the  hor- 
rors of  war  from  its  vicinity.     Add  to  all  this,  that 
the  monarch  smiled,  clapped  my  head,  and  order- 
ed me  a  little  basket,  very  pretty,  and  filled  by  the 
officious  kindness  of  his   son  with  dried  berries. 
Never  did  princely  gifts,  or  the  smile  of  royalty, 
produce  more  ardent  admiration  and  profound  gra- 
titude.    I  went  out  of  the  royal  presence  overawed 
and  delighted,  and  am  not  sure  but  what  I  have 
liked  kings  all  my  life  the  better  for  this  happy  spe- 
cimen, to  which  I  was  so  early  introduced.     Had  I 
seen  royalty,  properly  such,  invested  with  all  the 
pomp  of  European  magnificence,  I  should  possibly 
have  been   confused  and  over-dazzled.     But  this 
was  quite  enough,  and  not  too  much  for  me  ;  and 
I  went  away,  lost  in  a  reverie,  and  thought  of  no- 
thing but  kings,  battles,  and  generals  for  days  after. 
This  journey,  charming  my  romantic  imagina- 
tion by  its  very  delays  and  difficulties,  was  such  a 
source  of  interest  and  novelty  to  mc,  that  above  all 
things  I  dreaded  its  conclusion,  which  I  well  knew 
would  be  succeeded  by  long  tasks  and  close  con- 
finement.    Happily  for  mc  we  soon  entered  upon 


224 


MEMOIRS  OF 


Wood-creek,  the  most  desirable  of  all  places  for  a 
traveller  who  loves  to  linger  if  such  another  trav- 
eller there  be.     This  is  a  small  river,  which  winds 
irregularly  through  a  deep  and  narrow  valley  of  the 
most  lavish  fertility    The  depth  and  richness  of  the 
'  soil  here  was  evinced  by  the  loftiness  and  the  nature 
of  the  trees,  which  were,  hiccory,  butter-nut,  ches- 
nut,  and  sycamores,  of  vast  circumference  as  well 
as  height.    These  became  so  top-heavy,  and  their 
roots  were  so  often  undermined  by  this  insidious 
stream,  that  in  every  tempestuous  night,  some  gi- 
ants of  the  grove  fell  prostrate,  and  very  frequent- 
ly across  the  stream,  where  they  lay  in  all  their 
pomp  of  foliage,  like  a  leafy  bridge,  unwithered, 
and  formed  an  obstacle  almost  invincible  to  all  na- 
vigation.    The  Indian  lifted  his  slight  canoe,  andi 
carried  it  past  the  tree  ;  but  our  deep-loaded  bat- 
teaux  could  not  be  so  managed.     Here  niy  ortho- 
doxy was  shocked,  and  my  anti-military  prejudices 
revived  by  the  swearing  of  the  soldiers:  but  then 
again  my   veneration  for  my  father  was  if  possible 
increased,  by  his  lectures   against  swearing  pro- 
voked by  their  transgression.     Nothing  remained 
for  our  heroes  but  to  attack  these  sylvan  giants  axe 
in   hand,    and   make   way  through   their  divided 
bodies.      The   assault  upon  fallen  greatness  was 
Unanimous  and  unmerciful,  but  the  resistance  was 
tough,  and  the  process  tedious  ;  so  much  so,  that 
we  were  three  days   proceeding  fourteen   miles, 
having  at  every  two  hour's  end  at  least,  a  new  tree 
to  cut  through. 

It  was  here,  as  far  as  I  recollect  the  history  of 
my  own  heart,  that  the  first  idea  of  artifice  ever  en- 
tered to  my  mind.  It  was,  like  most  female  artifi- 
ces, the  offspring  of  vanity.  These  delays  were  a 
new  source  of  pleasure  to  me.  It  was  October  :— 
the  trees  we  had  to  cut  through  were  often  loaded 
with  nuts,  and  while  I  ran  lightly  along  the  branch- 
es, to  fill  my  royal  basket  with  their  spoils,  which 
I  had  great  pleasure  in  distributing,  I  met  ,>v;th 


AN  AMERICAN  LADY. 


223 


multitudes  of  fellow  plunderers  in  the  squirrels  of 
various  colours  and  sizes,  who  were  here  number- 
less. This  made  my  excursions  amusing:  but 
when  I  found  my  disappearance  excited  alarm,  they 
assumed  more  interest.  It  was  so  fine  to  sit  quiet- 
ly among  the  branches,  and  hear  concern  and  soli- 
citude expressed  about  the  child. 

I  will  spare  the  reader  the  fatigue  of  accompany- 
ing our  little  fleet  through 

**  Antres  vast  and  desarts  wild  :**  ^         . 

only  observing,  that  the  munificent  solitude 
through  which  we  travelled  was  much  relieved  by 
the  sight  of  Johnson  hall,  beautifully  situated  in  a 
plain  by  the  river ;  while  Johnson  castle,  a  few 
miles  further  up,  made  a  most  respectable  appear- 
ance on  a  comiioanding  eminence  at  some  dis- 
tance. ,_;     , 

We  travelled  from  one  fort  to  another  ;  but  in 
three  or  tour  instances,  to  my  great  joy,  they  were 
so  remote  from  each  other,  that  we  found  it  neces- 
sary to  encamp  at  night  on  the  bank  of  the  river. 
This,  in  a  land  of  profound  solitude,  where  wolves^ 
foxes,  and  bears  abounded,  and  were  very  much 
inclined  to  consider  and  treat  us  as  intruders,  might 
seem  dismal  to  wiser  folks.  But  I  was  so  gratified 
by  the  bustle  and  agitation  produced  by  our  meas- 
ures of  defence,  a^d  actuated  by  the  love  which  all 
children  have  for  mischief  that  is  not  fatal,  that  I 
enjoyed  our  night's  encampment  exceedingly.— • 
We  stopped  early  wherever  we  saw  the  largest  and 
most  combustible  kind  of  trees.  Cedars  were  great 
favourites,  and  the  first  work  was  to  fell  and  pile  upon 
each  other  an  incredible  number,  stretched  length- 
ways, while  every  one  who  could  was  busied  in 
gathering  withered  branches  of  pine,  &c.  to  fill  up 
the  interstices  of  the  pile,  and  make  the  green  M'ood 
burn  the  faster.  Then  a  train  of  gun-powder  was 
laid  along  to  give  fire  to  the  whole  ftibric  at  once, 


5^i 


V4 


i* 


?26' 


MEMOIRS  OF 


W 


I 


ill 


1.4  f! 


it  II 


which  blazed  and  crackled  magnificently.  Theu 
the  tents  were  erected  close  in  a  row  before  this 
grand  conflagration.  This  was  not  merely  meant 
to  keep  us  warm,  though  the  nights  did  begin  to 
grow  cold,  but  to  frighten  wild  beasts  and  wander- 
ing Indians.  In  case  any  such  Indians,  belonging  to 
hostile  tribes,  should  see  this  prodigious  blaze,  the 
size  of  it  was  meant  to  give  them  an  idea  of  a  great- 
er force  than  we  possessed. 

In  one  place,  where  we  were  surrounded  by 
hills,  with  swamps  lying  between  them,  there  seem- 
ed to  be  a  general  congress  of  wolves,  who  an* 
swcred  each  other  from  opposite  hills,  in  sounds 
the  most  terrific.  Probably  the  terror  which  all 
savage  animals  have  at  fire  was  exalted  into  fury, 
by  seeing  so  many  enemies,  whom  they  durst  not 
attack.  The  bull  frogs,  the  harmless,  the  hideous 
inhabitants  of  the  swamps,  seemed  determined  not 
to  be  out-done,  and  roared  a  tremendous  bass  to 
this  bravura  accompaniment.  This  was  almost  too 
much  for  my  love  of  the  terrible  sublime  :  some 
women,  who  were  our  fellow-travellers,  shrieked 
with  terror  :  and  finally,  the  horrors  of  that  night 
were  ever  after  held  in  awful  remembrance  by  all 
who  shared  them. 

The  last  night  of  this  eventful  pilgrimage,  of 
which  I  fear  to  tire  my  readers  by  a  farther  recital, 
was  spent  at  fort  Bruerton,  then  commanded  by 
captain  Mungo  Campbell,*  whose  warm  and  gene- 
rous heart,  whose  enlightened  and  comprehensive 
mind,  whose  social  qualities  and  public  virtues  I 
should  delight  to  commemorate  did  my  limits  per- 
mit ;  suffice  it,  that  he  is  endeared  to  my  recollec- 
tion by  being  the  first  person  who  ever  supposed 
me  to  have  a  mind  capable  of  culture,  and  I  was 
ever  after  distinguished  by  his  partial  notice. — 
Here  we  were  detained  two  days  by  a  premature 


^Ibi 


Colonel  Mungo  Campbell  was  killed  leading  on  the  attack 
n-t  St.  Afine,  attku  battl«  of  White  Plaias,  Aoao  17/7. 


AN  AMERICAN  LADY. 


227 


iall  of  snow.  Very  much  disposed  to  be  happy  any 
where,  I  was  here  particularly  so.  Our  last  day's 
journey,  which,  brought  us  to  lake  OntariOijand  fort 
Oswego,  our  destined  abode,  was  a  very  hard  one  ; 
we  hud  people  going  before,  breaking  the  ice  with 
paddles,  all  the  way 

All  that  I  had  foreboded  of  long  tasks,  confine- 
ment, &Q.  fell  short  of  the  reality.  The  very  deep 
snow  confined  us  all;  and  at  any  rate  the  rampart 
or  the  parade  would  have  been  no  favourable  scene 
of  improvement  for  me.  One  great  source  of  en- 
tertainment I  discovered  here,  was  no  other  than 
the  Old  Testament,  which  during  my  confinement 
I  learned  to  read ;  till  then  having  done  so  very  im- 
perfectly. It  was  an  unspeakable  treasure  as  a 
story  book,  before  I  learnt  to  make  any  better  use 
of  it,  and  became,  by  frequent  perusal,  indelibly 
imprinted  on  my  memory.  Wallace  wight,  and 
Welwood's  memoirs  of  the  history  of  England, 
were  my  next  acquisitions.  Enough  of  egotism^ 
yet  all  these  circumstances  contributed  to  form 
that  taste  for  solid  reading  which  first  attracted  the 
attention  of  my  invaluable  friend. 

I  cannot  quit  .Ontario,  without  giving  a  slight 
sketch  of  the  manner  in  which  it  was  occupied  and 
p;overned  while  I  was  there  and  afterwards,  were 
it  but  to  give  yoUng  soldiers  a  hint  how  they  may 
best  use  their  time  und  resources,  so  as  to  shun  the 
indolence  and  ennui  they  are  often  liable  to  in  such 
situations.  The  55th  had  by  this  time  acquired 
several  English  officers;  but  with  regard  to  the 
inen,  it  might  be  considered  as  a  Scotch  regiment, 
und  was  indeed  originally  such,  being  raised  but  a 
very  few  years  before,  in  the  neighbourhood  of 
Stirling.  There  were  small  detachments  in  other 
forts;  but  the  greatest  part  were  in  this,  command- 
ed by  Major  (afterwards  Colonel)  Duncan  of  Lun- 
(lie,  elder  brother  of  the  late  Lord  Duncan  of  Cam- 
l)erdown.  He  was  an  experienced  officer,  possess- 
ed of  considerable  military  science,  learned,,  hu- 


I  : 


2'28 


MEMOIRS  OF 


tnanC)  and  judicious^  yet  obstinate^  and  somewhat 
of  an  humourist  withal.  Wherever  he  went  a 
respectable  library  went  with  him.  Though  not 
old  he  was  gouty,  and  war-worn,  and  therefore  al- 
lowably carried  about  many  comforts  and  conve- 
niences that  others  could  not  warrantably  do.  The 
fort  was  a  large  place,  built  entirely  of  earth  and 
great  logs ;  I  mean  the  walls  and  ramparts,  for  the 
barracks  were  of  wood,  and  cold  and  comfortless. 
The  cutting  down  the  vast  quantity  of  wood  used 
in  this  building  had,  however,  cleared  much  of  the 
fertile  ground  by  which  the  fort  was  surrounded. 
The  lake  abounded  with  excellent  fish  and  varieties 
of  water-fowl,  while  deer  and  every  kind  of  game 
were  numerous  in  the  surrounding  woods.  All 
these  advantages,  however,  were  now  shut  up  by 
the  rigours  of  winter.  The  officers  were  all  very 
young  men,  brought  from  school  or  college  to  the 
army,  and  after  the  dreadful  specimen  of  war  which 
they  had  met  with  on  their  first  outset,  at  the  lines 
of  Ticonderoga,  they  had  gone  through  all  possi- 
ble hardships.  After  a  march  up  St.  Lawrence, 
and  then  through  Canada  here,  a  march  indeed, 
considering  the  season,  and  the  new  road,  worthy 
the  hero  of  Pultowa,  they  were  stationed  in  this 
new  built  garrison,  far  from  every  trace  of  civiliza- 
tion. These  young  soldiers  were,  however,  ex- 
cellent subjects  for  the  forming  hand  of  Major 
Duncan.  As  I  have  said  on  a  former  occasion  of 
others,  if  they  were  not  improved,  they  were  not 
spoiled,  and  what  little  they  knew  was  good. 

The  major,  by  the  manner  in  which  he  treated 
them,  seemed  to  consider  them  as  his  sons,  or 
pupils ;  only  one  might  call  him  an  austere  parent, 
or  a  rigid  instructor.  But  this  semblance  of  seve- 
rity was  necessary  to  form  his  pupils  to  habitual 
veneration.  Partaking  every  day  of  their  convivial 
enjoyments,  and  showing  every  hour  some  proof 
of  paternal  care  and  kindness ;  all  this  was  neces- 
sary to  keep  them  within  due  limits.    Out  of  re- 


AN  AMERICAN  LADV 


229 


!»;ard  to  their  own  welfare  he  wanted  no  more  of 
their  love  than  was  consistent  with  sahitary  fear ; 
and  yet  made  himself  so  necessary  to  them,  that 
nothing  could  be  so  terrible   to  them  as,  by  any 
neglect  or  imprudence,  to  alienate  him.  He  messed 
with  them,  but  lived  in  a  house  of  his  own.     This 
was  a  very  singular  building  divided  into  two  apart- 
ments; one  of  which  Avas  a  bed-room,  in  which 
many  stores  found  place,  the  other,  a  breakfasting- 
parIour,and,  at  the  same  time,  a  library.  Here  were 
globes,  quadrants,  mathematical  instruments, flutes, 
dumb-bells,  and  chess-boards ;  here,  in  short,  was 
a  magazine  of  instruction  and  amusement  for  the 
colonel's  pupils,  that  is,  for  all  the  garrison.  (Cor- 
nelius Cuyler,  who  had  now  joined  the  regiment,  as 
youngest   ensign,  was  included  in  this  number.) 
This  Scythian  dwelling,  for   such  it  seemed,  was 
made  entirely  of  wood,  and  fixed  upon  wheels   of 
the  same  material,  so  that  it  could  be  removed  from 
one  part  of  the  parade  to  another,  as  it  frequently 
was.    So  slight  alcnament,  where  the  winters  were 
intensely  cold,  was  ill  calculated  for  a  gouty  patient : 
for  this,  however,  he  found  a  remedy ;  the  boards, 
>vhich  formed  the  walls   of  his  apartment,  being- 
covered  with  dccr-skins,  and  a  most  ample  bear- 
skin spread  on  the  floor  by  way  of  carpet.     When 
once  the  winter  set  fully  in,  Oswego  became  a  per- 
fect Siberia;  cut  oft"  even  from  all  intelligence  of 
what  was  passing  in  the  world.     But  the  major  did 
Jiot  allow  this  interval  to  waste  in  sloth  or  vacancy  ; 
he  seemed  rather  to  take  advantage  of  the  exclusion 
of  all  exterior  objects.     His  library  was  select  and 
soldier-like.     It   consisted  of  numerous   treatises 
on  the   military  art,   ancient  and  modern   history, 
biography,  Sec.  besides  the  best  authors  in  various 
licicnccs,  of  which  I  only  recollect  geography  and 
Uie  mathematics.     All  the  young  men  were  set  to 
read  such  books  as  suited  their  difl'erent  inclina-. 
lions  and  capacities.     The  subalterns  breakfasted 
T.itli  their  commander  in  rotation  cvcrv  dav,  threr 

X 


'230 


iMEMOIRS  Ol 


«r  four  atu  time  ;  after  breakfast  he  kept  them,  per- 
haps two  hours,  examining  them  on  the  subject  of 
their  tUfferent  studies.  Once  a  week  he  had  a  sup- 
per party  for  such  of  the  captains  as  were  then  in 
the  fort ;  and  once  a  week  they  entertained  him  in 
the  same  manner.  To  these  parties  such  of  the 
subalterns,  as  distinguished  themselves  by  diligence 
and  proficiency,  were  invited.  Whoever  was  neg- 
ligent, he  made  the  subject  of  sarcasms  so  pointed 
at  one  time,  and  at  another  so  ludicrous,  that  there 
was  no  enduring  it.  The  dread  of  severe  punish- 
ment could  not  operate  more  forcibly.  Yet  he  was 
so  just,  so  impartial,  so  free  from  fickleness  and 
favouritism,  and  so  attentive  to  their  health,  their 
amusements,  and  their  economy,  that  every  indivi- 
dual felt  him  necessary  to  his  comfort,  and  looked 
up  to  him  as  his  "  guide,  philosopher,  and  friend." 


CHAP.  XLVI. 

Benefit  of  select  Reading.— Hunting  Excursion. 

U  N  SPEAK  ABLE  benefit  and  improvement  was 
derived  from  the  course  of  reading  I  have  describ- 
ed, which,  in  the  absence  of  other  subjects,  fur- 
nished daily  topics  of  di'-cussion,  thus  impressing 
it  more  forcibly  on  the  mind. 

The  advantages  of  this  course  of  social  study, 
directed  by  a  mentor  so  respected,  were  such,  that 
I  have  often  heard  it  asserted  that  these  unformed 
youtlis  derived  more  solid  improvement  from  it 
than  from  all  their  former  education.  Reading  is 
one  thing ;  but  they  learned  to  think  and  to  con- 
verse. The  result  of  these  acquirements  served 
to  impress  on  my  mind  what  I  formerly  observed 
with  regard  to  Madame,  that  a  promiscuous  multi- 


yVN  AMERICAN  LADY 


2.31' 


tilde  of  books  always  within  reach  retards  the  ac- 
quisition of  useful  knowledge.  It  is  like  having  ii 
great  number  of  acquaintances  and  few  friends ; 
one  of  the  consequences  of  the  latter  is  to  know 
much  of  exterior  appearances,  of  modes  and  man- 
ners, but  little  of  nature  and  genuine  character. 
By  running  over  numbers  of  books  without  selec- 
tion, in  a  desultory  manner,  people,  in  the  same 
way,  get  a  general  superficial  idea  of  the  varieties 
and  nature  of  diflfctent  styles,  but  do  not  compre- 
hend or  retain  the  matter  with  the  same  accuracy 
as  those  who  have  read  a  few  books,  by  the  best 
authors,  over  and  over  with  diligent  attention.  I 
ipeak  now  of  those  one  usually  meets  with  ;  not  of 
those  commanding  minds,  whose  intuitive  research 
seizes  on  every  thing  worth  retaining,  and  rejects 
the  rest  as  naturally  as  one  throws  away  the  rind 
when  possessed  of  the  kernel. 

Our  young  students  got  through  the  winter  pret- 
ty well }  and  it  is  particularly  to  be  observed,  that 
there   was  no  such  thing  as  a  quarrel  heard  of 
among  them.     Their  time  was  spent  in  a  regular 
succession  of  useful  pursuits,   which   prevented 
them  from  risking  the  dangers  that  often  occur  in 
such  places ;  for,  in  general,  idleness  and  confine- 
ment to  the  same  circle  of  society  produce  such  a 
fermentation  in  the  mind,   and   such  neglect  of 
ceremonial  observances,   which  are  the   barriers 
of  civility,  that  quarrels   and  duels  more   readily 
occur  in  such  situations  than  in  any  other.     But 
when  spring  drew  near,  this  paternal  commander 
found  it  extremely  difficult  to  rein  in  the  impatience 
of  the  youths  to  plunge  into  the  woods  to  hunt. 
There  were  such  risks  to  encounter,  of  unknown 
morasses,  wolves,  and  hostile  Indians,  that  it  was 
dangerous  to  indulge  them.     At  last,  when  the 
days  began  to  lengthen,  in  the  end  of  February,  a 
chosen  party,  on  whose  hardihood  and  endurance 
the  major  could  depend,  were  permitted  to  go  on 
a  regular  hunting  excursion  in  the  Indian  fashion. 


232 


MEMOIRS  OF 


This  was  become  desirable  on  different  account^^ 
the  garrison  having  been  for  some  time  before  en- 
tirely subsisted  on  salt  provisions.  Sheep  and  cows 
were  out  of  the  question,  there  not  being  one  of 
either  within  forty  miles.  A  Captain  Hamilton, 
who  was  a  practised  wood  ranger,  commanded  this 
party,  who  were  clad  almost  like  Indians,  and  arm- 
<'d  in  the  same  manner.  They  were  accompanied 
by  a  detachment  often  men  ;  some  of  whom  having 
been  prisoners  with  the  Indians,  were  more  parti- 
(  ularly  qualified  to  engage  in  this  adventure.  They 
were  allowed  four  or  five  days  to  stay,  and  provid- 
ed with  a  competent  supply  of  bear-skins,  blankets, 
&c.  to  make  their  projected  wigwams  comfortable. 
The  allotted  time  expired,  and  we  all  begun  to 
([uarrcl  with  our  salt  provisions,  and  to  long  for  the 
promised  venison.  Another,  and  yet  another  day 
passed,  wl\en  our  longing  was  entirely  absorbed  in 
the  apprehensions  we  began  to  entertain.  Volun- 
teers now  presented  themselves  to  go  in  search  of 
llie  lost  hunters ;  but  those  offers  were,  for  good 
reasons,  rejected,  and  every  countenance  began  to 
lengthen  with  fears  we  were  unwilling  to  expres$ 
to  each  other.  The  major,  conjecturing  the  hun- 
ters might  have  been  bewildered  in  those  cndlesft 
woods,  ordered  the  cannon  to  be  fired  at  noon,  and 
again  at  midnight,  for  their  direction.  On  the 
eighth  day,  when  suspense  was  wound  up  to  the 
highest  pitch,  the  party  were  seen  approaching, 
and  they  entered  in  triumph,  loaded  with  sylvan 
.spoils  ;  among  which  were  many  strange  birds  and 
beasts.  I  recollect,  as  the  chief  objects  of  my  ad- 
miration, a  prodigious  swan,  a  wild  turkey,  and  a 
young  porcupine.  Venison  abounded,  and  the  sup- 
ply was  both  plentiful  and  seasomable. 

•••  Spring  returned  with  its  showers,"  and  con- 
verted our  Siberia,  frozen  and  lorlorn,  and  shut  out 
from  hiinum  intercourse,  into  an  uncultured  Kden, 
rich  in  all  the  majestic  charms  of  sublime  scenery, 
utid  prim xval  beauty  and  fertility.     It  is  in  her  ceii- 


AN  AMERICAN  LADY. 


tral  retreat,  amidst  the  mighty  waters  of  the  west, 
that  nature  seems  in  solitary  grandeur  to  have  cho- 
sen her  most  favoured  habitation,  remote  from  the 
ocean,  whose  waves  bear  the  restless  sons  of  Eu- 
rope on  their  voyages  of  discovery,  invasion,  and 
intrusion.  The  coasts  of  America  are  indeed  com- 
paratively poor,  except  merely  on  the  banks  of 
great  rivers,  though  the  universal  veil  of  evergreens 
conceals  much  sterility  from  strangers.  But  it  is 
in  the  depth  of  those  forests,  and  around  those  sea- 
like lakes,  that  nature  has  been  profusely  kind,  and 
discovers  more  charms  the  more  her  shady  veil  is 
withdrawn  from  her  noble  features.  If  ever  the 
fond  illusions  of  poets  and  philosophers — that  Ata- 
lantis,  that  new  Arcadia,  that  safe  and  serene  Uto- 
pia, where  ideal  quiet  and  happiness  have  so  often 
charmed  in  theory;  if  ever  this  dream  of  social 
bliss,  in  some  new-planted  region,  is  to  be  realized, 
this  unrivalled  scene  of  grandeur  and  fertility  bids 
fairest  to  be  the  place  of  its  abode.  Here  the  cli- 
mate is  serene  and  equal ;  the  rigorous  winters 
that  brace  the  frame,  and  call  forth  the  powci-s 
of  mind  and  body  to  prepare  for  its  approach,  are 
succeeded  by  a  spring  so  rapid,  the  exuberance  of 
vernal  bloom  bursts  forth  so  suddenly,  after  the 
disappearance  of  those  deep  snows,  which  cherisli 
and  fructify  the  earth,  that  the  change  seems  like 
a  magical  delusion. 

The  major  saw  every  one  enraptured,  like  peo- 
ple suddenly  let  out  of  prison  ;  and  the  whole  gar- 
rison seemed  ripe  for  running  wild  through  tlu; 
woods,  in  pursuit  of  innumerable  birds  of  passage, 
which  had  come  on  the  wings  of  the  genial  south  to 
resume  their  wonted  abodes  by  the  great  lakes, 
where  they  hatch  among  swamps  and  islands  with 
out  number. 


1m 


\ 


K 


234 


MEMOIRS  OF 


CHAP.  XLVII. 


nrii,* 


Gardening  and  Agiiculture.— Return  of  the  Author  to  Albany. 

JL  HE  major  rejoiced  in  their  joy  without  having 
the  least  intention  of  indulging  them  either  in  the 
gay  idleness,  or  the  wild  sports  which  the  season 
inspired.  He  had  been  their  Mentor  all  \v inter, 
and  was  now  about  to  commence  their  Agricola. 

When  giving  an  account  of  the  garrison  I  should 
have  mentioned  a  company  or  two,  I  do  not  remem- 
ber which,  of  engineers,  the  officers  of  which,  from 
their  superior,  intelligence,  were  a  great   acquisi- 
tion to  the  society.     To  these  friendly  coadjutors 
.the  major  communicated  his  plans,  which  they  rea- 
dily adopted.     Among  his  concealed  stores  were 
Indian  corn,  peas  and  beans  in  abundance,  and  all 
kinds  of  garden  seeds.     Before  the  season  opened 
he  had  arranged  with  these  engineers  the  plan  of 
a  large  garden,  bowling-green,  and  enclosed  field, 
for  the  use  of  these  and  all  succeeding  troops. — 
This  was  a  bold  attempt  when  one   considers  that 
you  might  as  well  look  for  a  horse  in  Venice  as  in 
Oswego.     No  such  animal  had  ever  penetrated  so 
far.     A  single  cow,  belonging  to  the  suttler,  was 
tlie  only  tame  creature,  dogs  and  cats  excepted,  to 
be  seen  here.     But  there  was  a  great  stock  of  pal- 
lisadoes,  which  had  been  cut  for  the  garrison,  lying 
ready ;    and  their  pioneers  and   workmen  still  rc- 
muining  there,  the  new  erection  being  scarce  com- 
plete. The  new  project  was  received  with  "curses 
-not  loud  but  deep."     Were  they  to  go  all  out  to 
plod  and  drudge  for  others,  who  would  neither  pay 
nor  thank  them  ;    for,  at  most,   they  argued  they 
Niiould  stay  only  a  year,  and  reap  very  little  indeed 
of  the  iViiil  of  their  labours. 

The  major's,   plans,   however,  were  deep   laid  j 
luutters  wore  a  peaceable  aspect  j  and  there  Wttsno 


AN  AMERICAN  LADY. 


235 


knowing  how  long  they  might  remain  there.     Ex- 
cept shooting  in  the  woods,  or   fishing,  they  were 
without  business,  pleasure,  or  varied  society.     He 
feared  the  men  would  degenerate  into  savage  wild- 
ness,  and  their  officers  into  that  sovdid  indifference 
which  is  two  often  the  consequence  of  being,  at  the 
early  season  of  life,  without  an  aim  or  a  pursuit.— 
He  wished  to  promote  a  common  interest,  and  ha- 
bits social  and  domestic.     He  wished  too,  that  they 
might  make  some  advantage  of  this  temporary  ban- 
ishment, to  lay  by  a  little  store  to  ele  out  their  pit- 
tance when  they  returned  to  more  expensive  pla- 
ces ;  in  short,  he  wished  to  give  them  habits  of  re- 
gular economy,  which  should  be  useful  to  them 
^  ^r  after.     He  showed  them  hfs  plans  ;  gave  each 
.*<  them  a  department  in  overseeing  the  execution 
of  them  ;  and,  for  that  purpose,  each  had  so  many 
men  allotted  to  his  conunand.     He  made  it  obvious 
to  them,  that,  as  the  summer  was  merely  to  be  oc- 
cupied in  gardening  and  the  chase,  the  parade  of 
military  dress  was  both  expensive  and  unnecessary. 
In  the  store  was  a  great  surplus  of  soldier's  coats. 
These  had  been  sent  from  Europe  to  supply  the  re- 
giment, which  had  been  greatly  diminished  in  num- 
ber by  the  fatal  lines,  and  succeeding  hard  march. 
The  major  ordered   the   regimental   taylor,  to  fit 
these  as  a  kind  of  short  undi*css  frock  to  the  offi- 
cers, to  whom  correspondent  little  rouiid  hats,  very 
different  from  their  regimental  ones,  were  allotted, 
Thus  equipped,  and  animated  by  the  spirit  of  him 
who  ruled  their  minds  with  unconscious  yet  unliwi- 
itcd  sway,  these  young  Cincinnati  set  out,  nothing 
loath,  on  their  horticultural  enterprise.     All  diffi- 
culties soon  vaniiilied  before  them  ;  and,  in  a  very 
few  days,  they   became  enthusiastic  in  the    pur- 
suit of  this  new  object.   That  large  and  fertile  por- 
tion of  ground,  which  had  been  cleared  of  the  tim- 
ber with  which  the  garrison  was  built,  was  given 
in  charge  to  a  sagacious  old  serjeant,  who  knew 
something  of  husbandry,  and  who  very  soon  had  it 


236 


MEMOIRS  OF 


hi 


n^. 


enclosed  in  a  pallisad^)  dug  up,  and  planted  witfi 
beans,  peas,  and  Indian  corn,  the  food  of  future 
pigs  and  poultry.  To  the  officers  more  interesting 
tasks  were  allotted.  There  was  more  than  one 
gardener  found  in  the  regiment ;  and  here  the  en- 
gineers and  pioneers  were  particularly  useful.  The 
major,  who  had  predestined  a  favourite  spot  for  his 
ample  garden,  had  it  partially  cleared,  by  cutting 
tlie  winter  firing  of  the  garrison  from  it.  Where 
a  mulberry,  a  wild  plum,  or  cherry  tree  was  pecu- 
liarly well-shaped  or  large,  he  marked  it  to  remain, 
as  well  as  some  lofty  planes  and  chesnuts  ;  and 
when  the  shrubs  were  grubbed  up  in  spring,  he  left 
many  beautiful  ones  peculiar  to  the  country.  To 
see  the  sudden  creation  of  this  garden,  one  would 
think  the  genius  of  the  place  obeyed  the  wand  of 
an  enchanter:  but  it  is  not  every  gardener  who  can 
employ  some  hundred  men.  A  summer  house  in 
a  tree,  a  fish-pond,  and  a  gravel-walk,  were  finished 
before  the  end  of  May,  besides  having  committed 
to  the  earth  great  quantities  of  every  vegetable  pro- 
duction known  in  our  best  gardens.  These  vege- 
tables throve  beyond  belief  or  example.  The  size 
of  the  cabbages,  the  cucumbers,  and  melons,  pro- 
duced here,  was  incredible.  They  used,  in  the  fol- 
lowing years,  to  send  them  down  to  astonish  us  at 
Albany.  On  the  continent  they  were  not  equalled, 
except  in  another  military  garden,  which  emulation 
had  produced  at  Niagara.  The  major's  economi- 
cal views  were  fully  answered.  Pigs  and  poultry 
in  abundance  were  procured,  and  supported  by  their 
Indian  corn  crop;  they  even  procured  cows  and 
made  hay  in  the  islands  to  feed  them.  The  provi- 
sions allowed  them  by  the  puWic  afforded  a  suf- 
ficiency of  Hour,  butter,  and  salt  meat,  as  also 
rice.  The  lake  afforded  quantities  of  cxcelknt 
fish,  much  of  which  the  soldiers  dried  for  winter 
consumption  :  and  fruit  and  vegetables  they  had  in 
profusion  from  their  gardens.  In  short,  they  all 
lived  in  a  kind  of  rough  luxury,  and  were  enabled 


ANi  AMERICAN  LADY. 


2Z7 


to  save  much  of  their  pay.  The  example  spread 
to  all  the  line  of  forts ;  such  is  the  power  of  one 
active  liberal  mind  pursuing  its  object  with  undevi- 
ating  steadiness.  -  .      a 

We  are  now  about  to  leave  Ontario ;  but  perhaps 
the  reader  is  not  willing  to  take  a  final  farewell 
of  Colonel  Duncan.  The  Indian  war  then,  which 
bi'oke  out  after  the  peace  of  1762,  occasioned  the 
detention  of  the  regiment  in  America  till  1765  ;  and 
during  all  that  time  this  paternal  commander  con- 
tinued with  six  companies  of  the  regiment  at  Onta- 
rio, improving  both  the  soil  and  the  inhabitants.— 
He  then  returned  with  the  regiment,  of  which  he 
was  become  lieutenant-colonel,  to  Ireland.  Soon 
after  he  retired  from  the  army,  and  took  up  his  re- 
sidence on  the  family  estate  of  Lundie,  having  pre- 
viously married  the  w^oman  of  his  heart,  who  had 
engaged  his  early  affections,  and  corresponded  with 
him  during  his  long  absence.  Here  he  was  as 
happy  as  a  shattered  invalid  could  be,  highly  re- 
spected by  the  neighbourhood,  and  frequently  visit- 
ed by  his  old  pupils,  who  still  regarded  him  with 
warm  attachment.  He  died  childless,  and  was  suc- 
ceeded by  the  admiral,  on  whose  merit  it  is  need- 
less to  expatiate  ;  for  who  has  forgotten  the  victor 
of  Camperdown  ? 

A  company  of  the  55th  was  this  summer  ordered 
to  occupy  the  fort  at  Albany.  This  was  command- 
ed by  a  sagacious  veteran  called  Winepress.  My 
father  did  not  exactly  belong  to  this  company,  but 
he  wished  to  return  to  Albany,  where  he  was 
known  and  liked  :  and  the  colonel  thought,  from 
his  steadiness  and  experience,  he  would  be  partic- 
ularly useful  in  paying  the  detached  parties,  and 
purchasing  for  the  regiment  such  stores  as  they 
might  have  occasion  for.  We  set  out  in  our  bat- 
teaux  ;  and  I  consoled  myself  for  not  only  leaving 
Oswego,  but  what  was  nearer  my  heart,  a  tame 
partridge  and  six  pigeons,  by  the  hopes  of  wander* 
ing  through  Wood-crcck,   uud  slcephig  in  thg 


258 


MEMOIRS  OF 


-woods.  In  both  these  piarticulars  I  \ras  disappoint- 
cd.  Our  boats  being  lighter,  made  better  way,  and 
we  were  received  in  new  settlements  a  little  distant 
from  the  river.  The  most  important  occurrence  to 
me  happened  the  first  day.  On  that  evening  we 
returned  to  Fort  Bruerton ;  I  found  Captain  Camp- 
bell delighted  with  my  reading,  my  memory,  and 
my  profound  admiration  of  the  friendship  betwixt 
David  and  Jonathan.  We  staid  the  most  of  the 
next  day.  I  was  much  captivated  with  the  copper- 
plates in  an  edition  of  Paradise  Lost,  which,  on 
that  account,  he  had  given  me  to  admire.  When 
I  was  coming  away  he  said  to  me,  "  Keep  that 
book,  my  dear  child  ;  I  feretell  that  the  time  will 
come  when  you  will  take  pleasure  in  it."  Never 
did  a  present  produce  such  joy  and  gratitude.  I 
thought  I  was  dreaming,  and  looked  at  it  a  hun- 
dred times,  before  I  could  believe  any  thing  so 
fine  was  really  my  own.  I  tried  to  read  it  and  al- 
most cried  with  vexation  when  I  found  I  could  not 
understand  it.  At  length  I  quitted  it  in  despair  ; 
yet  always  said  to  myself,  I  shall  be  wiser  next 
year. 


ill' 


CHAP.  XLVIII. 

Madame's  Family  and  Society  described. 

1  HE  next  year  (1762)  nimc,  and  found  me  at 
Albany  ;  if  not  wiser,  more  knowing.  Again  I 
was  shut  up  in  a  fort,  solemn  and  solitary  ;  1  had 
no  companion,  and  was  nevtr  allowed  to  go  out, 
except  with  my  mother,  uiul  tlmt  was  very  seldom 
indeed.  All  the  fine  forcuoons  I  sat,  and  sewed  ; 
and  when  others  went  t(;  play  in  the  evening,  I  was 
very  often  sent  up  to  u  large  wustc  room,  to  get  a 


AN  AMERICAN  LADY. 


2319 


long  task  by   heart  of  something   very  grave  and 
repulsive.     In  this  waste  room,  however,  lay  an 
old    tattered   dictionary,   Bailey's   I   think,  which 
proved  a  treasure  to  me  ;  the   very  few  books  we 
had,  being  all  religious  or  military.     I  had  return- 
ed to  my  Milton,  which  I  conned  so  industriously, 
tjiati  got  it  almost  by.  heart,  as  far  as  I  went  ;  yet 
took  care  to  go  no  farther  than  I  understood.     To 
make  out  this  point,  vfhen  any  one  encouraged  me 
by   speaking  kindly  to  me,  I  was  sure  to  ask  the 
meaning  of  some  word  or  phrase  :  and   when  I 
found  people  were  not  at  all  willing  or  able  to  grat- 
ify me,  I  at  length  had  recourse  to  my  waste  room 
and  tattered  dictionary,  which  I  found  a  perpetual 
fountain  of  knowledge.     Consequently  the   waste 
room,  formerly  a  gloomy  prison,  which  I  thought 
of  with  horror,  became  now  the  scene  of  all  my  en-  * 
joyment ;  and  the  moment  I  was  dismissed  from 
iTiy  task,  I  flew  to  it  with  anticipated   delight ;  for 
there  were  my  treasure,  Milton  and  the  ragged  die* 
tionary,  which  was  now  become  the  light  of  my 
eyes.     I  studied  the  dictionary  with  indefatigable 
diligence  ;  which  I  began  now  to  consider  as  very 
entertaining,     I  was  extremely  sorry  for  the  fallen 
angels,  deeply   interested  in  their  speeches,  and 
Jio  well  acquainted  with  their  names,  that  I   could 
have  called  the  roll  of  them  with  all  the  ease  ima- 
ginable.    Time  run  on,  I  was  eight  years  old,  and 
quite  uneducated^  except  reading  and  plain-work  : 
when  company   came  I  was  considered   as  in  the 
way,  and  sent  up  to  my  waste  room  ;  but  here  lay 
my  whole  pleasure,  for  I  had  neither  companions 
nor  amusement.     It  was,  however,  talked  of,  that 
1  should  go  to  a  convent,  at  Trois  Rcvieres,  in  Can- 
ada, where  several  officers  had   sent  their   daugh- 
ters to  be  educated. 

The  fame  of  Aunt  Schuyler  every  now  and  then 
reached  my  ears,  and  sunk  deep  in  my  mind.  To 
sec  her  I  thought  was  a  happiness  too  great  for  me  ; 
iind  I  was  continually  drawing  pictures  of  her  t€> 


240 


MEMOIRS  OF 


myself.      Meanwhile  the  17th  regiment  an  ivcd; 
and  a  party  of  them  took  possession  of  the   fort. 
During  this  interim,  peace  had  been  proclaimed  ; 
and  the  55th  regiment  were  under  orders  for  Britain. 
My  father,  not  being  satisfied  with  the   single 
apartnwnt  allotted  to  him  by  the  new  comers,  re- 
moved to  the  town  ;  where  a  friend  of  his,  a  Scotch 
merchant,  gave  him  a  lodging  in  his   own  house, 
next  to  that  very  Madame  Schuyler  who  had  been 
so  long  my  daily  thoughts   and  nightly  dreams. 
We  had  not  been  long  there  when  Aunt  heard  that 
my  father,  was  a  good,  plain,  upright  man,  with- 
out pretensions,   but  very  well  principled.      She 
sent  a  married  lady,  the  wife  of  her  favourite  ne- 
phew, who  resided  with  her  at  the  time,  to  ask  us 
to  spend  the  evening  with  her.     I  think  I  have  not 
Ixjen  on  any  occasion  more  astonished,  than  when, 
with  no  little  awe  and   agitation,  I  came  into  the 
presence  of  Madame.     She  was  sitting  ;  and  filled 
a  great   chair,    from  which   she   seldom   moved. 
Her  aspect  was  composed,  and  her  manner  such  as 
was,  at  first,  more  calculated  to   inspire   respect, 
than  conciliate  affection.     Not  having  the  smallest 
solicitude  about  what  people  thought  of  her,  and 
having  her  mind  generally  occupied  with  matters 
of  weighty  concern,  the   first  expression   of  her 
kindness  seemed  rather  a  lofty  courtesy,  than  at- 
tractive aflability  :  but  she   shone  out  by  degrees  : 
und  she  was  sure  eventually  to  please  every  one 
worth  pleasing,  her   conversation  was  so  rich,  so 
variousj  so  informing  ;  every  thing  she   said  bore 
such  a  stamp  of  reality  ;  her  character  had  such  a 
grasp  in  it.     Her  expressions   not  from  art  and 
study,  but  from  the  clear  perceptions  of  hci*  sound 
luid  strong  mind,  were  powerful,  distinct,  and  ex- 
actly  adapted   to   the    occasion.      You    saw    her 
thoughts  as  they  occurred  to  her  mind,  without  the 
usual  bias  rising  from  either  a  fear  to  offend,  or  a 
wish  to   please.     This  was  one  of  the   secrets  in 
which  lay  the  singular  power  of  her  conversation 


AN  AMERICAN  LADY. 


241 


When  ordinary  people  speak  to  you,  your  mind 
wanders  in  search  of  the  motives  that  prompt  iheir 
discourse,  or  the  views  and  prejudices  wJNich  bias 
it ;  when  those  who  excite  (and  perhaps  solicit) 
admiration  talk,  you  arc  secretly  asking  yourself 
whether  they  mean  to  inform*  or  dazzle  you.  All 
this  interior  canvass  vanished  before  the  evident 
truth  and  unstudied  ease  of  Aunt's  discourse.  On 
a  nearer  knowledge,  too,  you  found  she  was  mwch 
more  intent  to  serve,  than  please  you,  and  too  much 
engrossed  by  her  endeavours  to  do  so,  to  stop  and 
look  round  for  your  gratitude,  which  she  heeded 
just  as  little  as  your  admiration.  In  short,  she  in- 
formed, enlightened,  and  served  you,  without  levy- 
ing on  you  any  tribute  whatever,  except  the  infor- 
mation you  could  give  in  return.  I  describe  her 
appearance  as  it  then  struck  me  ;  and,  once  for  all, 
her  manners  and  conversation,  as  I  thought  of  them 
when  I  was  older  and  knew  better  how  to  distin- 
guish and  appreciate.  Every  thing  about  her  was 
calculated  to  increase  the  impression  of  respect 
and  aditiiration ;  which,  from  the  earliest  dawn  of 
reflection,  I  had  been  taught  to  entertain  for  her. 
Her  house  was  the  most  spacious  and  best  furnish- 
ed I  had  ever  entered.  The  family  pictures,  and 
scripture  paintings,  were  to  me  purticukirly  awful 
and  impressive.  1  compa?*cd  them  to  the  models 
which  had  before  existed  in  my  imagination,  and 
was  delighted  or  mortified,  as  1  found  they  did  or 
did  not  resemble  them. 

The  family  with  which  she  was  then  surrounded, 
awakened  a  more  than  common  interest.  Her 
favourite  nephew,  the  eldest  son  of  her  mueh  be- 
loved sister,  had,  by  his  father's  desire,  entered 
into  partnership  in  a  great  commercial  house  in 
New-York.  Smitten  with  the  uncommon  beauty 
of  a  young  lady  of  seventeen,  from  Rhode  Island, 
he  had  married  her  without  waituig  for  the  consent  of 
his  relations.  Had  he  lived  in  Albany,  and  connect- 
ed himself  with  one  of  his  fellow  citizens,  bred  up 

Y 


y-'. 


242 


MEMOIRS  OF 


m 


:t(^ 


4 


in  frugal  simplicity,  this  step  might  have  been  easily 
got  over.     Bi't  an  expensive  and  elegant   style  of 
living  begun  already  to  take  place  in  New-York; 
which  was,  from  the  residence  of  the  governor  and 
commander  in  chief,  become  the   seat  of  a  little 
court.     The  lady,  wliom  Philip  had  married,  was 
of  a  family  originally  Scotch  ;  and  derived  her  de- 
scent at  no  great  distance  from  one  of  the   noblest 
families  in  that  country.*     Gay,  witty,  and  very  en- 
gaging, beloved  and  indulged,  beyond  measure,  by 
ti  fond  husband,  who  was  generous  and  good-natur- 
ed to  excess,  this  young  beauty  became  "  the  glass 
of  fashion,  and  the  mould  of  form.'*     And  the  house 
of  this  amiable  couple  was   the  resort  of  all  that 
was  gay  and  elegant,  and  the  centre  of  attraction 
to  strangers.     The  mayor,  who  was  a  person  sin- 
gularly judicious,  and  most  impartial  in  the  affec- 
tion which  he  distributed  among  his  large  family, 
saw  clearly  that  the  young  people  trusted  too  much 
to  the  wealth  he  was  known  to  possess,  and  had  got 
into  a  very  expensive    style  of  living ;  which,   on 
examining  their  affairs,  he  did  not  think  likely  to 
be  long  supported  by  the  profits  of  the   business 
in  which  his  son  was  engaged.     The  probable  con- 
sequence of  a  failure,  he  saw,  would  so  far  involve 
him  as  to  injure  his  own  family  :  this  he  prevented. 
Peace  was  daily  expected  :  and  the  very  existence 
of  the  business  in  which  he  was  engaged,  depend 
ed  on  the  army  ;  which  his  house  was  wont  to  fur- 
nish with  every  thing  necessary.     He  clearly  fore- 
saw the   withdrawing  of  this  army ;  and  that  the 
habits  of  open  hospitality  and  expensive  living  would 
remain,  when  the  sources  of  their  present  supplies 
were  dried  up.     He  insisted  on  his  son's  entirely 
quitting  this  line,  and  retiring  to  Albany.     He  load- 
ed a  ship  on  his  own  account  for  the  West   Indies, 
and  sent  the  young  man,  as  supercargo,  to  dispose 
of  the  lading.     As  house-keeping  was  given  up  in 


*  E:r\  -r  rv■^^y'\^v'V•~. 


t     , 


AN  AMERICAN  LADY. 


243 


5rson  sin 


New-York,andnotyct  resumed  in  Albany,thisyoung 
creature  had  only  the  option  of  returning  to  the 
large  family  she  had  left,  or  going  to  her  father-in- 
law's.  Aunt  Schuyler,  ever  generous  and  consi- 
derate, had  every  allowance  to  make  for  ihe  high 
spirit  and  fine  feelings  of  this  unexperienced  young 
creature  ;  and  invited  her,  with  her  little  daughter, 
to  remain  with  her  till  her  husband's  return.  Noth- 
ing could  be  more  pleasing  than  to  witness  the  ma- 
ternal tenderness  and  delicate  confidence,  which 
appeared  in  the  behaviour  of  Madame  to  this  new 
inmate,  whose  fine  countenance  seemed  animated 
with  the  liveliest  gratitude,  and  the  utmost  solici- 
tude to  please  her  revered  benefactress.  The  child 
w-as  a  creature  not  to  be  seen  with  indifference. 
The  beauty  and  understanding  that  appeared  full 
bl6wn  in  her  mother  seemed  budding  with  the  love- 
liest promise  in  the  young  Catalina  ;  a  child, 
whom  to  this  day,  I  cannot  recollect  without  an  emo- 
tion of  tenderness.  She  was  then  about  three  years 
old.  Besides  these  interesting  strangers,  there 
was  a  grand-niece  whom  she  had  brought  up.  Such 
was  her  family  when  I  first  knew  it.  In  the  course 
of  the  evening,  dreams  began  to  be  talked  of;  and 
every  one  in  turn  gave  their  opinion  with  regard  to 
that  wonderful  mode,  in  which  the  mind  acts  inde- 
pendent of  the  senses,  asserting  its  immaterial  na- 
ture in  a  manner  the  most  conclusive.  Imusedaud 
listened,  till  at  length  the  spirit  of  quotation  (v/hich 
very  early  began  to  haunt  me)  moved  me  to  repeat, 
from  Paradise  Lost, 

"  When  nature  rests, 
"  Oft  in  her  absence  mimic  fancy  wakes,  to  imitate  her, 
*'  But  misjoining  sliapes,  wild  work  produces  oft." 

I  sat  silent  when  my  bolt  was  shot ;  but  so  did  not 
Madame.  Astonished  to  hear  her  favourite  author 
quoted  readily,  by  so  mere  a  child,  she  attached 
much  more  importance  to  the  circumstance  than 
it  deserved.  So  much,  indeed,  that  long  after,  she 
used  to  repeat  it  to  strangers  in  my  presence,  by 


Ui 


MEMOIRS  OF 


n]- 


im 


(,.?,' 


P 


way  of  accounting  for  the  great  fancy  she  had  taken 
to  me.  These  partial  repetitions  of  hers  fixed  this 
lucky  quotation  indelibly  in  my  mind.  Any  person 
who  has  ever  been  in  love,  and  has  unexpectedly 
heard  that  sweetest  of  all  music  the  praise  of  his  be- 
loved, may  judge  of  my  sensations  when  Madame 
began  to  talk  with  enthusiasm  of  Milton.  The  bard 
of  Paradise  was  indeed  "  the  dweller  of  my  secret 
soul;"  and  it  never  was  my  fortune  before  to  meet 
with  anyone  who  understood  or  relished  him.  I 
knew  very  well  that  the  divine  spirit  was  his  Urania. 
But  I  took  his  invocation  quite  literally,  and  had 
not  the  smallest  doubt  of  his  being  as  much  inspir- 
ed as  ever  Isaiah  was.  This  was  a  very  hopeful 
opening ;  yet  I  was  much  too  simple  and  too  hum- 
ble to  expect  that  I  should  excite  the  attention  of 
Madame.  My  ambition  aimed  at  nothing  higher 
than  winning  the  heart  of  the  sweet  Catalina ;  and 
I  thought  if  heaven  had  given  me  such  another  little 
sister,  and  enabled  me  to  teach  her,  in  due  time, 
to  relish  Milton,  I  should  have  nothing  left  to  ask. 
Time  went  on ;  we  were  neighbours,  and  became 
intimate  in  the  family.  I  was  beloved  by  Catalina, 
caressed  by  her  charming  mother,  and  frequently 
noticed  by  Aunt,  whom  I  very  much  inclined  to 
love,  were  it  not  that  it  seemed  to  me  as  if,  in  so 
doing,  I  should  aspire  too  high.  Yet  in  my  visits 
to  her,  where  I  had  now  a  particular  low  chair  in  a 
corner  assigned  me,  I  had  great  enjoyments  of  va- 
rious kinds.  First,  I  met  there  with  all  those  stran- 
gers or  inhabitants  who  were  particularly  respecta- 
ble for  their  character  or  conversation.  Then  I 
was  witness  to  a  thousand  acts  of  beneficence  that 
charmed  me,  I  could  not  well  say  why,  not  ha\  ing 
learned  to  analyze  my  feelings.  Then  I  met  with 
the  Spectator  and  a  lew  other  suitable  books,  which 
I  read  over  and  over  with  unwearied  diligei.ce,  not 
having  the  least  idea  of  treating  a  book  as  a  ^-lay- 
thing,  to  be  thrown  away  when  the  charm  of  novelty 
was  past.     I  was  by  degrees   getting   into  favour 


AN  AMERICAN  LADY. 


145 


i  taken 
:ed  this 
person 
ectedly 
hiabe- 
ladame 
le  bard 
secret 
o  meet 
lini.     I 
Urania, 
nd  had 
inspir- 
hopeful 
o  hum- 
Qtion  of 
higher 
la;  and 
er  little 
e  time, 
to  ask. 
became 
latalina, 
qucntly 
lined  to 
f,  in  so 
\y  visits 
lair  in  a 
;s  of  va- 
e  stran- 
specta- 
Then  I 
ce  that 
basing 
ct  with 
,  which 
ce,  not 
a   -lay- 
novelty 
favouf 


trith  Aunt  Schuyler,  when  a  new  arrival  for  a  while 
suspended  the  growing  intimacy.  I  allude  to  the 
colonel  of  my  father's  regiment,  who  had  removed 
from  Crown  Point  to  Albany. 

The  colonel  was  a  married  man,  whose  wife,  like 
himself,  had  passed  her  early  days  iii  a  corirse  of 
frivolous  gaiety.  They  were  now  approachrjig  ilic 
decline  of  life,  and  finding  nothin:  \iie*siag  in  t'.e 
retrospect  nor  flattering  in.prospec',  tiine  hung  on 
their  hands.  Where  nothing  round  lh«;m  wuf^  c»mi- 
genial  to  their  habits,  they  took  a  (a?icy  to  !»ave  mc 
frequently  with  them  as  mutter  ot  Mmr.scuient. — 
They  had  had  children,  and  when  they  di.'d  the:.; 
mutual  affection  died  with  them  They  had  hfc  i  a 
fortune,  and  when  it  was  spent  sU  their  p'easures 
were  exhausted.  They  were  by  this  ti:  iC  dinwii)^: 
out  the  vapid  d^'cgs  of  a  tasteless  cxisumcc,  with- 
out ciicrgy  to  make  themselves  feared,  or  those 
gentle  and  amiable  qualities  which  attract  love  : 
yet  they  were  not  stained  with  gro^s  vices,  and  weie 
people  of  character  as  the  world  goes. 

What  a  new  world  was  I  entered  into  1  From  the 
quiet  simplicity  of  my  home,  where  1  heard  noth- 
ing but  truth,  and  saw  nothing  but  innocence  ;  and 
from  my  good  friend's  respectable  mansion,  where 
knowledge  reflected  light  upo.\  virtue,  and  where 
the  hours  were  too  few  for  their  occipation  ;  to  be 
a  daily  witness  of  the  manner  in  which  these  listless 
ghosts  of  departed  fashion  rnci  gaiety  drank  up  the 
bitter  lees  of  misused  tiviC,  forune,  and  capacity. 
Never  was  lessoi!  moi»>  impressive  ;  and  young  as 
I  was,  I  did  not  fuii  to  mark  the  contrast,  and  draw 
the  obvious  inference.  From  this  hopeful  school  I 
was  set  free  the  following  summer  (when  I  had  en- 
tered on  my  ninth  year,)  by  the  colonel's  return  to 
England.  They  were,  indeed,  kind  to  mc  ;  hnt 
the  gratitude  I  could  not  but  feel  was  a  sentiment 
independent  of  attachment,  and  early  taught  mo 
how  difticult  it  is,  nay  how  painful,  to  disjoin  cs-^ 
teem  from  gratitude. 

Y2    ■ 


IL 


I4G 


MEMOIRS  OF 


CHAP.  XLIX. 

Sir  Jeffrey  Amherat.->Mutiiij.— Indian  War. 

xvT  this  time  (1765)  peace  had  been  for  some 
time  estublisiied  in  Europe  ;  but  the  ferment  and 
agitation  which  even  the  Ices  and  sediments  of  war 
kept  up  in  the  northern  colonics,  and  the  many  re- 
gulations requisite  to  establish  quiet  and  security 
in  the  new  acquired  Canadian  territory,  recjuired 
all  the  care  and  prudence  of  the  commander  iu 
chief,  and  no  little  time.  At  this  crisis,  for  such 
it  proved,  Sir  Jeffrey,  afterwards  Lord  >Amherst, 
came  up  to  Albany.  A  mutiny  had  broke  out 
amon^  the  troops  on  account  of  withholding  the 
provisions  they  used  to  receive  in  time  of  actual 
war;  and  this  discontent  was  much  aggravated  by 
uheir  finding  themselves  treated  with  a  coldness, 
amounting  to  aversion,  by  the  people  of  the  coun- 
try ;  who  now  lbr}.>;ol  past  seryices,  and  showed  in 
all  transactions  a  spirit  of  dislike  bordering  on  hos- 
tility to  their  protectors,  o.»  whom  they  no  longer 
felt  themselves  dependent. 

Sir  Jeflrey,  however,  was  received  like  a  prince 
at  Albany,  respect  for  his  piivate  character  con- 
quering the  anti-military  prejudice.  The  ;*on»* 
mander  in  chief  was  in  those  days  a  great  man  on 
the  continent,  having,  on  account  of  the  distance 
from  the  seat  of  government,  much  discretionary 
power  intrusted  to  him.  Never  was  it  more  safe- 
ly lodged  than  in  the  hands  of  this  judicious  vete- 
ran, whose  coinpreliension  of  mind,in)parliality, 
steadiness,  and  dose  application  to  business,  pe- 
culiarly fitted  him  for  his  important  sUiti«)n.  At 
his  table  all  strangers  were  entertained  with  the 
Utmost  liberality;  wliile  his  own  sitjgular  tempir- 
ance,  early  hours,  and  strict  morals,  were  pccu- 
iiurly  calculated  to  render  him  popular  among  the 


AN  AMERICAN  LADY. 


d4r 


K        At 

illi  llic 

tnpi  r- 

|»t;(U- 

ug  the 


old  inhubitants.     Here  I  witncNHcd  an  iinpreH»ive 
spoctucic  :  the  guurd-hoUHC  wum  in  the  middle  of 
tiic  strcetf  oppoHtlc  to  Muduinc*H ;  there  wuh  a  ^uurd 
extraordinary  mounted  in   honour  of  Sir  JetVroyj 
at  the  hour  of  dianginp;  it  all  the    ooldicry  in  tho 
fort  aHscmhled  there,  and  hiid  down  their  amift,  re« 
fuHinp;  to  take  them  up  a|^ain.     I  hIiuII  never  iori^et 
the  pale  and  agitated  countenanreH  of  the  oflicerii  { 
they  beinjy  too  well  assured  that  it  wan  a  tliinjr  pre- 
concerted;   which    was   actually   the  ease,    for  ut 
Crown  Point  and  Quebec  the  same  tiling'  waN  done 
on  the  sau)c  day.    Sir  JelVrey  came  down,  and  made 
a  calm   dinpahHionatc    speech   to    them,  promisinfj^ 
them  u  continuance  of  their  privilejijeM  till  further 
orders   from    home,    and   oiVerin^;    pardon    to    the 
whole,  with   the  exception   of  a    fe\     rinpjleaders, 
whose  lives,   however,  were  t^pured.     This  ^rcntlo 
dealing  had  its  due  eiVect ;  but  at  Quebec  the  muli> 
ny  assumed  u  most  alarming  aspe(  t,  and  had  more 
st-rious   conse(|uenc(;M,  thoti^;h   it   wan   in  the   end 
(luelled.     All  this  time  Sir  JellVey's  visilh  to  Ma- 
il.ini  -  had  been  IV((|uent,  both  out  ol  rebpect  to  her 
character  and  conversation,  and  to  reap  the  benefit 
of  her  local   knowledgtt   on  an  approaching  eiuer- 
jjeiiry.     This  was  a  spirit  of  disalltction,  then  only 
suspected,  among  the  Indians  on  the  Upper  Lakes, 
which  soon  alter  brol<e  smUlenly  out  intoopenhoH- 
lilitj .     In  conse{|uence  of  her  opinion  he  hiinunou- 
ed  Sir  W.  Johnson  to  concert  some   conciliutory 
UK'iisurcH.     JJut   the  coinuK'ncemint  of  the  war  at 
this  very  crisis,  detained    him   longer   to   arrange 
with  (ieneral  Hradstreil  and  Sir  NViiliam  the  ope- 
rations of  the  ensuing  campaign. 

This  war  broke  out  veiy  op|)oi-tunely  in  some 
respects.  It  uHorded  a  pretext  lor  granting  those 
iiKhilgenrics  to  tin:  troops,  uliich  it  wonlu  <»tlnr- 
wisc  have  been  impolitic  lo  give-  and  ini:>..l«  to  wilh- 
hold.  It  inriiished  o((  npution  for  an  army  loo 
lar^c  to  lie  idle  so  far  from  the  source  ol  ..nthority, 
which  could  not  yet  be  sulely  wili. drawn   till    unit- 


.». 


us 


MEMOIRS  OP 


tcrs  were  on  a  more  stable  footing;  and  it  made  tlir 
inhabitants  once  more  sensible  of  their  protection. 
Mudamc  had  predicted  this  event,  knowing  better 
than  any  one  how  the  affections  of  these  tribes 
might  be  lost  or  won.  She  well  knew  the  probable 
consequences  of  the  negligence  with  which  they 
were  treated,  since  the  subjection  of  Canada  made 
us  consider  them  as  no  longer  capable  of  giving  us 
trouble.  Fondiac,  chief  of  those  nations  who  in- 
habited the  borders  of  the  great  lakes,  possessed 
one  of  those  minds  which  break  through  all  disad- 
vantages to  assert  their  innate  superiority. 

The  rise  and  conduct  of  this  war,  were  I  able  to 
narrate  them  distinctly,  the  reader  would  perhaps 
scarce  have  patience  to  attend  to  ;  indistinct  as  they 
must  appear,  retraced  from  my  broken  recollec- 
tions. Could  I  however  do  justi  c  to  the  bravery, 
the  conduct,  and  magnanimity  in  some  instances, 
and  the  singular  address  and  stratagem  in  others, 
which  this  extraordinary  person  displayed  in  the 
course  of  it,  the  power  of  untutored  intellect  would 
appear  incredible  to  those  who  never  saw  man  but 
in  an  artificial  or  degraded  state,  exalted  by  science 
or  debused  by  conscious  ignorance  and  inieriority. 
During  the  late  war  Pondiac  occupied  a  central  si- 
tuation, bounded  on  each  side  by  the  French  and 
English  territories.  His  uncommon  sagacity  taught 
him  to  make  the  most  of  his  local  advantages,  and 
of  that  knowledge  of  the  European  character  which 
resulted  from  this  neighbourliood.  Me  had  tluil 
sort  of  consequence  which  in  the  last  century  raised 
the  able  and  politic  princes  of  the  house  of  Savoy 
to  the  throne  they  have  since  enjoyed.  Pondiac 
held  a  petty  balance  between  two  great  contending 
powers.  Even  the  privilege  of  passing  through 
his  territories  was  purchased  with  presents, pronu- 
ses  and  ttatteries.  While  the  court  which  was  p.iid 
to  this  wily  warrior,  to  secure  his  alliance,  or  a' 
least  his  neutrality,  made  him  too  sensii)le  of  hisi 
own  consequence,  it  gave  him  a  near  view  of  oiv: 


AN  AMERICAN  LADY. 


249 


ladc  i\\c 
tcction. 
r  better 
e  tribes 
)robable 
ch  they 
da  iiuvclc 
iving  us 
who  in- 
osscssecl 
ill  disacl- 

I  able  to 
t  perhaps 
ct  as  they 
recollec- 
bravery, 
instances, 
n  others, 
id  in  the 
cct  would 
V  man  but 
)y  science 
ileriority. 
:cntral  si- 
re nch  and 
•ily  tiiuj^ht 
lu^es,  and 
•ler  which 
had   thai 
ury  raised 
;  ol  Savoy 
Pondiuc 
ontei\dinj; 
-5  thioU}j;h 
iUs,pron'i 
;h  was  p'  id 
vnce,  or  a' 
Jble  of  hu 
iow  ol'  oiu' 


policy  and  modes  of  life.  Hs  often  passed  some 
time,  on  various  pretexts,  by  turns  at  Montreal  and 
in  the  English  camp.  The  subjection  of  Canada 
proved  fatal  to  his  power,  and  he  could  no  longer 
play  the  skilful  game  between  both  nations  which 
had  been  so  long  carried  on.  The  general  advan- 
tage of  his  tribe  is  always  the  uppermost  thought 
with  an  Indian.  The  liberal  presents  which  he  had 
received  from  both  parties,  afforded  him  the  means 
of  confederating  with  distant  nations,  of  whose  al- 
liance he  thought  to  profit  in  his  meditated  hostili- 
ties. 

There  were  at  that  tiiiic  many  tribes,  then  un- 
known to  Europeans,  on  the  banks  of  lake  Superior, 
to  whom  fir^-arms  and  other  British  goods  v/cre 
captivating  novelties.  When  the  French  insidi- 
ously built  the  fort  of  Detroit,  and  the  still  more 
detached  one  of  Michillimackinac,  on  bounds  hith- 
erto undefined,  they  did  it  on  the  footing  of  having 
secure  places  of  trade,  not  to  overawe  the  natives, 
but  to  protect  themselves  from  the  English.  They 
amply  rewarded  them  for  permission  to  erect  these 
fortresses,  and  purchased  at  any  expense  that 
friendship  from  them  without  which  it  would  have 
been  impossible  to  have  maintained  their  ground 
ill  these  remote  regions.  All  this  liberality  and 
ilattcry, though  merely  founded  on  self-interest,  had 
its  cfl'cct ;  and  the  French,  who  are  ever  versatile 
und  accommodating,  who  wore  the  Huron  dress, 
and  spoke  the  Huron  hmguage  when  they  had  any 
purpoKO  to  serve,  v/ero  without  doubt  the  favoured 
nation.  We,  too  apt  to  despise  all  foreigners,  and 
iVotovcr  complaisant  even  when  we  have  a  purpose 
\o  serve,  came  with  a  high  hand  to  occupy  those 
forts  which  we  considered  as  our  right  after  the 
<  oncjuest  of  Canada,  but  which  had  been  always 
n<  Id  by  the  more  crafty  French  as  an  indulgence. 
These  troops,  without  ceremony,  appropriated,  and 
following  Major  Duncan's  example,  cultivated  all 
he  fertile  lands  around  Detroit,  as  far  as  fancy  or 


250 


MfeMOIRS  OF 


convenience  led  them.  The  lands  round  Ontario 
were  in  a  different  predicament,  being  regularly 
purchased  by  Sir  William  Johnson.  In  conse- 
quence of  the  peace  which  had  taken  place  the  year 
before,  all  the  garrisons  were  considered  as  in  a 
state  of  perfect  security. 

Pondiac,  in  the  mean  time,  conducted  himself 
with  the  utmost  address,  concealing  the  indignation 
which  brooded  in  his  mind  under  the  semblance  of 
the  greatest  frankness  and  good  humour.  Master 
of  various  languages,  and  most  completely  master 
of  his  temper  andcountcnunce, he  was  at  homeevery 
where,  and  paid  frequent  friendly  visits  to  Detroit, 
near  which,  in  the  finest  country  imaginable,  was 
his  abode.  He  frequently  dined  with  the  mess,  and 
sent  them  fish  and  venison.  Unlike  other  Indians, 
his  manner  appeared  frank  and  communicative, 
which  opened  the  minds  of  others  and  favoured  his 
deep  designs.  He  was  soon  master,  through  their 
careless  conversation,  of  all  he  wished  to  knqw  re- 
lative to  the  stores,  resources,  and  intentions  of  the 
troops.  Madame,  who  well  knew  the  Indian  cha- 
racter in  general,  and  was  no  stranger  to  the  genius 
and  abilities  of  PondiaCy  could  not  be  satisfied  with 
the  manner  in  which  he  was  neglected  on  one  hand, 
i\or  his  easy  admission  to  the  garrison  on  the  other. 
She  always  said  they  should  cither  make  him  their 
friend,  or  know  him  to  be  their  foe. 

In  the  mean  while  no  one  could  be  more  busy  than 
this  politic  warrior.  While  the  Indians  were  in 
strict  alliance  with  the  French,  they  hud  their  wig- 
wams and  their  Indian  corn  within  sight  of  the  fort, 
lived  in  a  considerable  kind  of  village  on  the  border 
of  the  lake,  and  had  a  daily  intercourse  of  traffic 
and  civility  with  the  troops.  There  was  a  large 
esplanade  before  the  garrison,  where  the  Indians 
and  soldiers  sometimes  socially  played  at  ball  to- 
gether. Pondiac  had  a  double  view  in  his  intended 
hostility.  The  Canadian  priests,  with  the  wonted 
restless  intriguing  spirit  of  their  nation,  fomentc<l 


AN  AMERICAN  LADY. 


251 


the  discontents  of  the  Indians.  They  persuaded 
them,  and  perhaps  flattered  themselves,  that  if  they 
(the  Indians)  would  seize  the  chain  of  forts,  the 
Grand  Monarque  would  send  a  fleet  to  reconquer 
Canada,  and  guarantee  all  the  forts  he  should  take 
to  Pondiac.  Upon  this  he  did  not  altogether  de- 
pend:  yet  he  thought  if  he  could  surprise  Detroit, 
'and  seize  a  vessel  which  was  expected  up  from  Os- 
wego with  ammunition  and  stores,  he  might  easily 
take  the  other  small  vessels,  and  so  command  the 
lake.  This  would  be  shut  up  by  ice  for  the  winter, 
and  it  would  take  no  little  time  to  build  on  its  banks 
another  fleet,  the  only  means  by  which  an  army 
could  again  approach  the  place.  I  will  not  attempt 
to  lead  my  reader  through  all  the  intricacies  of  an 
Indian  war  (entirely  such,)  and  therefore  of  all  wars 
the  most  incomprehensible  in  its  progress,  and 
most  difficult  in  its  terms.  The  result  of  two  mas- 
ter-strokes of  stratagem,  with  which  it  opened,  are 
such  as  are  curious  enough,  however,  to  find  a 
place  in  this  detail. 


CHAP.  L. 


Pondiac. — SirUobertD. 

/\LL  the  distant  tribes  were  to  join  on  hearing 
Pondiac  was  in  possession  of  the  fort.  Many  of 
those  nearest,  in  the  mean  while,  were  to  lie  in  the 
neighbouring  woods,  armed  and  ready  to  rush  out 
on  the  discharge  of  a  cannon,  on  that  day  which 
was  meant  to  be  fatal  to  tife  garrison.  Out  of  the 
intended  massacre,  however,  the  artillery  were  to 
be  spared  that  they  might  work  the  guns.  Near 
the  fort  lived  a  much  admired  Indian  beauty,  who 


262 


MEMOIRS  OF 


h'*' 


Il'l  ■  s 


(If-. 


Queen  of  hearts.  She  not  only  spoke  French,  but 
dressed  not  inelegantly  in  the  European  manner, 
and  being  sprightly  and  captivating  was  encouraged 
by  Pondiac  to  go  into  the  garrison  on  various  pre- 
texts. The  advantage  the  Indian  chief  meant  to 
derive  from  this  stratagem  was,  that  she  might  be 
a  kind  of  spy  in  the  fort,  and  that  by  her  influence 
over  the  commander,  the  wonted  caution  with  re- 
gard to  Indians  might  be  relaxed,  and  the  soldiers 
be  permitted  to  go  out  unarmed  and  mingle  in 
their  diversions.  This  plan  in  some  degree  suc- 
ceeded. There  was  at  length  a  day  fixed,  on 
•which  a  great  match  at  foot-ball  was  to  be  decided 
between  two  parties  of  Indians,  and  all  the  garri- 
son were  invited  to  be  spectators.  It  was  to  be 
played  on  the  esplanade  opposite  to  the  fort.  At  a 
given  signal  the  ball  was  to  be  driven  over  the  wall 
of  the  fort,  which,  as  there  was  no  likelihood  of 
its  ever  being  attacked  by  cannon,  was  merely  a 
pallisade  and  earthen  breast-work.  The  Indians 
were  to  run  hastily  in,  on  pretence  of  recovering 
the  ball,  and  shut  the  gate  against  the  soldiers, 
whom  Pondiac  and  his  people  were  to  tomahawk 
immediately. 

Pondiac,  jealous  of  the  Queen  of  Hearts,  gave 
orders,  after  she  was  let  into  the  secret  of  this 
stratagem,  that  she  should  go  no  more  into  the  fort. 
Whether  she  was  offended  by  this  want  of  confi- 
dence ;  whether  her  humanity  revolted  at  the  in- 
tended massacre,  or  whether  she  really  felt  a  par-  ' 
ticular  attachment  prevailing  over  her  fidelity  to 
her  countrymen,  so  it  was  ;  her  affection  got  the 
better  of  her  patriotism.  A  soldier's  wife,  who 
carried  out  to  her  the  day  before  some  article  of 
dress  she  hud  made  for  her,  was  the  medium  she 
made  use  of  to  coirey  a  hint  of  the  intended  treach- 
ery. The  colonel  was  unwilling  from  the  dark 
hint  conveyed,  to  have  recourse  to  any  violent 
measures  ;  and  was  indeed,  doubtful  of  the  fact. 
To  kindle  the  flames  of  war  wantonly,  surrounded, 


AN  AMERICAN  LADY. 


25 


DO 


a^  he  was,  by  hostile  nations,  who  wouhl  carry 
their  vengeance  into  the  defenceless  new  settle- 
ments, was  a  dreadful  ejjpedient.  Without  betray- 
ing his  informer  he  resolved  to  convince  himself. 
The  men  were  ordered  to  go  out  i.o  see  the  ball 
played,  but  to  keep  under  shelter  of  the  fort ;  and 
if  they  saw  the  ball  driven  in,  immediately  to  re- 
turn and  shut  the  gates.  I  cannot  remember  the 
exact  mode  in  which  this  manoeuvre  was  managed, 
but  the  consequence  I  know  was,  first,  the  repuls- 
ing of  the  Indians  from  the  gate,  and  then  the  com- 
mencing of  open  hostilities  on  their  side,  while  the 
garrison  was  for  some  time  in  a  state  of  blockade. 

Meantime  the  Indians  had  concerted  another 
stratagem,  to  seize  a  vessel  loaded  with  stores, 
which  was  daily  expected  from  Niagara.  Commo- 
dore Grant,  a  younger  brother  of  the  Glenmoris- 
ton  family  in  Inverncss-shire,  was,  and  I  believe 
still  is,  commander  of  the  lakes  ;  an  office  which 
has  now  greatly  risen  in  importance.  At  that  thiic 
his  own  vessel  and  two  or  three  smaller  were  em- 
ployed in  that  navigation.  This  litttle  squadron 
vas  very  interesting  on  a  double  account.  It  car- 
ried stores,  troops.  Sec.  which  could  not  other- 
wise be  transported,  there  being  no  way  of  pro- 
ceeding by  land  ;  and  again  the  size  of  the  vessels 
und  a  few  swive*  j  or  small  cannon  they  carried 
enabled  them  to  command  even  a  fleet  of  canoes, 
should  the  Indians  be  disposed  to  attack  them.  Of 
this  there  was  at  the  time  not  the  least  apprehen- 
sion ;  and  here  I  must  stop  to  give  some  account 
of  thc^first  victim  to  this  unlooked-for  attack. 

Sir  Robert  D.  was  the  representative  of  an  an- 
cient English  family,  of  which  he  was  originally 
the  sixth  brother.  At  a  certain  time  of  life,  somc- 
M'here  betwixt  twenty-five  and  thirty,  each  was,  hi 
turn,  attacked  with  a  hypochondriac  disordti*, 
which  finally  proved  fatal.  Sir  Robert,  in  turn, 
succeeded  to  the  estate  and  title,  and  to  the  dread- 
ful apprehension  of  being  visited  by  the  same  ca- 


254 


MEMOIRS  or 


(■■VhP- 


lamity.  This  was  the  more  to  be  regvettcd,  as  he 
was  a  person  of  very  good  abilities,  and  an  excellent 
disposition.  The  time  now  approached  when  he 
was  to  arrive  at  that  period  of  life  at  which  the  fatal 
malady  attacked  his  brothers.  He  felt,  or  ima- 
gined he  felt,  some  symptoms  of  the  approaching 
gloom.  What  should  he  do  ?  medicine  had  not 
availed.  Should  he  travel  ;  alas!  his  brothers  had 
travelled,  but  the  blackest  despair  was  Iheir  com- 
panion. Should  he  try  a  sea  voyage,  one  of  them 
commanded  a  ship,  and  fate  overtook  him  in  his 
own  cabin.  It  occurred  to  him  that,  by  living 
among  a  people  who  were  utter  strangers  to  this 
most  dreadful  of  all  visitations,  and  adopting  their 
manner  of  life,  he  might  escape  its  influence.  He 
came  over  to  America,  where  his  younger  brother 
served  in  a  regiment  then  in  Canada.  He  felt  his 
melancholy  daily  increasing,  and  resolvecl  imme- 
diately to  put  in  execution  his  plan  of  entirely  re- 
nouncing the  European  modes  of  life,  and  incor- 
porating himself  in  some  Indian  tribe,  hoping  the 
novelty  of  the  scene,  and  the  hardships  to  which 
it  would  necessarily  subject  him,  might  give  an 
entire  new  turn  to  his  spirits.  He  communicated 
his  intention  to  Sir  William  Johnson,  who  entirely 
approved  of  it,  and  advised  him  to  go  up  to  the 
great  lake  among  the  Hurons,  who  were  an  intel- 
ligent and  sensible  race,  and  inhabited  a  very  fine 
country,  and  among  whom  he  would  not  be  liable 
to  meet  his  countrymen,  or  be  tempted  back  to  the 
mode  of  life  he  wished  for  a  while  entirely  to  for- 
sake. This  was  no  flight  of  caprice,  but  a  project 
undertaken  in  the  most  deliberate  manner,  and  with 
the  most  rational  views.  It  completely  succeeded. 
The  Hurons  were  not  a  little  flattered  to  think 
that  an  European  of  Sir  Robert's  rank  was  going  to 
Jive  with  them,  and  be  their  brother.  He  did  not 
fail  to  conciliate  them  with  presents,  and  still  more 
by  his  ready  adoption  of  their  dress  and  manners. 
The  steadiness  he  showed  in  adhcrinij:  to  a  plan 


AN  AMERICAN  LADY. 


i,ii;i 


where  he  had  not  only  severe  hardships,  but  num- 
berless disgusts  to  encounter,  showed  him  posses- 
sed of  invincible  patience  and  fortitude  ;  while  his 
letters  to  his  friends,  with  whom  he  regularly  cor- 
responded, evinced  much  good  sense  and  just  ob- 
servation. For  two  years  he  led  this  life,  which 
habit  made  easy,  and  the  enjoyment  of  equal  spirits 
agreeablcL.  Convinced  that  he  had  attained  his 
desired  end,  and  conquered  the  hereditary  ten- 
dency so  much  dreaded,  he  prepared  to  return  to 
society,  intending  if  his  despondency  should  recur, 
to  return  once  more  to  his  Indian  habit,  and  re- 
join his  Huron  friends.  When  the  intention  was 
formed  by  Pondiac  and  his  associates  of  attackint^ 
the  commodore's  vessel,  Sir  Robert,  who  wished 
now  to  be  conveyed  to  some  of  the  forts,  discern- 
ed the  British  ship  from  the  opposite  shore  of  the 
great  lake,  and  being  willing  to  avail  himself  of 
that  conveyance,  embarked  in  a  canoe  with  some  of 
his  own  Indian  friends,  to  go  on  board  the  commo- 
dore. Meanwhile  a  very  large  canoe,  containing 
as  many  of  Pondiac*s  followers  as  it  could  possibly 
hold,  drew  near  the  king's  ship,  and  made  a  pre- 
text of  coming  in  a  friendly  manner,  while  two  or 
three  others  filled  with  warriors,  hovered  at  a  dis- 
tance. They  had  fallen  short  of  their  usual  policy ; 
for  they  were  painted  red,  and  had  about  them 
some  of  those  symbols  of  hostility,  which  are  per- 
fectly understood  amongst  each  other.  Some 
friendly  Indians,  who  happened  to  be  by  accident 
on  board  the  commodore's  vessel,  discerned  these, 
and  warned  him  of  the  approaching  danger.  On 
their  drawing  near  the  vessel  they  were  ordered  to 
keep  off.  Thinking  they  were  discovered,  and 
that  things  could  be  no  worse,  they  attempted  to 
spring  on  board  armed  with  their  tomahawks  and 
scalping-knives,  but  were  very  soon  repulsed. 
The  other  canoes,  seeing  all  was  discovered,  drew 
near  to  support  their  friends,  but  were  soon  repuls- 
ed by  a  discharge  of  the  six-pounders.    At  this 


^256 


MEMOmS  OF 


M'i 


^:v;':«' 


_.': 


crisis,  the  canoe,  containing  Sir  Robert,  began  to 
advance  in  another  direction.  The  Indians  who 
accompanied  him  had  not  been  apprised  of  the 
proposed  attack  ;  but  being  Hurons,  the  commo- 
dore never  doubted  of  their  hostility.  Sir  Robert 
sat  in  the  end  of  the  canoe  dressed  in  all  the  cos- 
tume of  a  Huron,  and  wrapt  up  in  his  blanket.  He 
ordered  his  companions  to  approach  the  ship  im- 
mediately, not  deterred  by  their  calling  to  them  to 
keep  off,  intending,  directly,  to  make  himself 
known ;  but  in  the  confusion  he  was  accidentally 
shot. 

To  describe  the  universal  sorrow  diffused  over 
the  province  in  consequence  of  this  fatal  accident 
would  be  impossible.  Nothing  since  the  death  of 
Lord  Howe  had  excited  such  general  regret.  The 
Indians  carried  the  body  to  Detroit,  and  delivered 
it  up  to  the  garrison  for  interment.  He  had  kept 
a  journal  during  his  residence  on  the  lakes,  which 
was  never  recovered,  and  must  certainly  have  con- 
tained (proceeding  from  such  a  mind  so  circum- 
stanced) much  curious  matter.  Sir  Charles,  his 
younger  brother,  then  a  captain  in  the  1 7th,  suc- 
ceeded him,  but  had  no  visitation  of  the  depression 
©f  mind  so  fatal  to  his  brothers. 

Rumours,  enlarged  by  distance,  soon  reached 
Albany  of  this  unlooked-for  attack  of  the  Indians. 
Indeed,  before  they  had  any  authentic  details,  they 
heard  of  it  in  the  most  alarming  manner  from  the 
terrified  back  settlers,  who  fled  from  their  incur- 
sions. Those  who  dwell  in  a  land  of  security, 
where  only  the  distant  rumour  of  war  can  reach 
them,  would  know  something  of  the  value  of  safety 
£ould  they  be  but  one  day  transported  to  a  region 
where  this  plague  is  let  loose  ;  where  the  timorous 
and  the  helpless  are  made  to 

"  Die  many  times  before  their  death" 

by  restless  humour,  cruel  suspense,  and  anticipa- 
ted misery.     Many  of  the  regiments  employed  in 


AN  AMERICAN  LADY. 


257 


the  conquest  of  Canada  had  returned  home,  or  gone 
to  the  West  Indies.  Had  the  Canadians  had  spirit 
and  cohesion  to  rise  in  a  body  and  join  the  Indians, 
'tis  hard  to  say  what  might  have  been  the  conse- 
quence. Madame,  whose  cautions  were  neglected 
in  the  day  of  prosperity,  became  now  the  public 
oracle,  and  was  resorted  to  and  consulted  by  all.— • 
Formerly  she  blamed  their  false  security  and  neg- 
lect of  that  powerful  chief,  who,  having  been  accus- 
tomed to  flattery  and  gifts  from  all  sides,  was  all  at 
once  made  too  sensible  that  it  was  from  v/ar  he  de- 
rived his  importance.  Now  she  equally  blamed 
the  universal  trepidation,  being  confident  in  our  re- 
sources, and  well  knowing  what  useful  allies  the 
Mohawks,  ever  hostile  to  the  Canadian  Indians, 
might  prove.  ' 

Never  was  our  good  aunt  more  consulted  or  more 
respected.  Sir  Jeffery  Amherst  planned  at  Albany 
an  expedition  to  be  commanded  by  General  Brad- 
street,  for  which  both  New-York  and  New-England 
raised  corps  of  provincials. 


CHAP.  LI. 


Death  of  captain  Dalzicl.— Sudden  decease  of  an  Indian  Chief- 
Madame.— Her  protegees. 


Ml 


.EANTIME  an  express  arrived  with  the  afflict^ 
ing  news  of  the  loss  of  a  captain  and  twenty  men  ot 
the  55th  regiment.  The  name  of  this  lamented  of- 
ficer  was  Dalziel,  of  the  Carnwath  family.  Colonel 
Beckwith  had  sent  for  a  reinforcement.  This  ma- 
jor Duncan  hesitated  to  send,  till  better  informed 
as  to  the  mode  of  conveyance..  Captain  Delziel 
volunteered  going.  I  cannot  exactly  say  how  they 
proceeded  j  but,  after  havincj  pcncftrated  t]iroup;>'. 


^^ 


•:58 


MEMOIUS  Ol- 


the  woods  till  they  were  in  sipjht  of  Detroit,  they 
were  discovered  and  attacked  by  a'puriy  of  Indians, 
andjiindc  their  way  with  the  utmost  ditVicuUy,  alter 
the  loss  of  their  commander  and  the  third  part  of 
their  number. 

Major  Duncan's  comprehensive   mhid  took   in 
every  thing   that   had  any  tendency  to  advance  the 
general  good,   and  cement  old  alliances.     He  saw 
none  of  the  Hurons,  whose  territories  lay  far  above 
Ontario,  but  those  tribes  whose  course  of  hunting 
or  fishing  led  them  to  his  boundaries,  were  ahvaysr 
kindly  treated.     He  often  made  them  presents  of 
ammunition  or  provision,   and  did   every  thing  in 
his  power  to  conciliate  them.     Upon  hearing  of  tho 
outrage  which  the  Hurons*  had  been  guilty  of,  the 
heads  of  the  tribe,  with  whom  the  major  had  culti- 
vated the  greatest  intimacy,  came  to  assure  him  of 
their  good  wishes  and  hearty  co-operation.     He  in- 
vited them  to  come  with  their  tribe  to  celebrate  the 
birth-day  of  the  new  king,  (his  present  Majesty.) 
which  occurred  a  few  days  after,  and  there  solemn- 
ly renew,  with  the  usual  ceremonies,  the  league  of- 
fensive and  defensive  made  between  their  fathers 
and  the  late  king.     They  came  accordingly  in  their 
best    arms    and    dresses,    and  assisted    at  u  re- 
view, an4   at  a  kind  of  feast  given  on  the   oc- 
casion, on  the    outside    of  the  fort.      The  chief 
iuid  his  brother,  who  were  two  fine  noble  looking 
men,  were  invited  into  dine  with  the  major  and  o^ 
ficers.     When  they  arrived,  and  were  seated,  the 
major  called  for  a  glass  of  wine  to  drink  his  sover- 
eign's health ;    this  was  no  sooner  done,  than  the 
sachem's  brother  fell  lifeless  on  the  floor.     Thoy 
thought  it  was  a  fainting  fit,  and  made  use  of  the 
"Usual  applications  to  recover  him,  which  to  their 

*  The  author,  perhaps,  uses  the  term  Huron,  where  that  of 
Algonquin  would  have  been  more  correct.  She  does  not  recol- 
lect the  distinctive  terms  exactly,  but  applies  the  epithet,  in  {ge- 
neral, to  the  Indians  who  then  occupied  the  bank!}  of  (Ik;  ll\xv<Jti 
Icike,  and  the  adjacent  country. 


AN   AMF.RU  AN  LADY 


2i9 


lit,  they 
liuliai)»t 
ly,  ivflcr 

pan  oi 

took   in 
i\ncc  the 
lie  suw 
*ar  ul)ovc 
huiitinp; 
c  alwayor 
■scnt»  oi' 
thin^-  in 
n^'oftho 
ty  of,  the 
)ucl  cuUi- 
•c  hini  ol' 
.     Hcin- 
ibnilc  the 
Majesty.) 
;  Syolcmn- 
cajijuc  of- 
ir  fathers 
y  in  their 
at  u  rc- 
the   oc- 
'he  chief 
c  lookinj^ 
or  unci  oi^ 
cuted,  the 
his  sovcr- 
;,  than  the 
)r.     They 
use  of  the 
\  to  their 

here  that  of 
us  not  icco!- 
jithct,  in  f,'e- 
>t'awHwaft 


extreme  surprise  proved  iiiefl'rrtual      His  brother 
looked    steadily  t>n    whiUi    all   thosr    nieuns   were 
usiuf;;  l)ut  when  eonviueed  of  their  ineflirury,  sat 
down,  dreM  his  mantle  over  his  fuee,  sohhcd  uhuid, 
and  hurst  into  tears.     This  wa;*  an  additional  won- 
der.    Throuf>;h  the  traet-s  «>r  Indian  n-eollertion  no 
person  had  been  known  to  hili  suddenly  dead  with- 
out any  visible  raise,  nor  any  warrior  to  sh(!<l  tears. 
After  a  pause  of  deep  silence,  which  no  one  felt  in- 
clined to  break,  the  sachem    rose  with  a  collected 
luid  dipjnilied  air,  and  thus  addressed  the  witnesses 
of  this  adectin^;  acci<lent :    "  (jcnerouH    Kn^lish, 
"*niisjudj]ijcMne  not ;  thuu^;h  you  have  seen  nie   for 
"  once  a  child,  in  the  day  of  battle  you  will  see  a  man, 
"  who  will  make   the  Ilurons  weep  blood.     I    was 
*'  never  thus  before.     JJnt   to  me  my  brother  was 
*'  all.     Had  he  died  in  battje,  no  look  of  mine  w<nild 
"  chanpjc.     His  nation  would  honoin*  him,   but  bin 
"  foes  should   lament  him.     I  see  sorrow  in  yotir 
''  countenances ;  and  I  know  you  were  not  the  causo 
"  of  my  brother's  death.     Why,  indeed,  should  yoii 
*'  take,  away  a  life  that  was  devoted  to  you  ?    (iene- 
"  rous  Enj^lish,  ye  mourn  for  nriy  brother,  and  I  will 
*'  fi)^ht  your  battles."     This  aswurance  of  his  confi- 
dence was  very  necessary  to  cpiietthc  n»inds  of  his 
friends;  and  the  ronccrn  of  the  oflicers  was  much 
aggravated  by  the  suspicious  circumstances  attend- 
ing his  death   so  immediately  after   drinking  the 
wine  they  hud  given  him.     The  major  ordered  this 
lamented  warrior  to  be  interred  with  great  ceremo- 
ny.    A  solemn  procession,  mournful  music,  the  fi- 
ring of  cannon,  and  all  other  military  honours,  evin- 
ced his  synipathy  for  the  living,  and  his  respect  fov 
the  dead;    and  the  result  of  this  sad  event,  in  tlie 
end,  rather  tended  to  strengthen  tlie  attachment  of 
those  Indians  to  the  liritish  cause. 

I  have  given  this  singular  occtirrence  a  place  in 
these  memoirs,  as  it  serves  to  illustrate  the  calm 
guod  sense  and  steady  confidence,  whi';h  made  a 


260 


MEMOIRS  OF 


part  of  the  Indian  character,  and  added  value  to 
their  friendship  when  once  it  was  fairly  attained. 

The  55th,  which  had  been  under  orders  to  return 
home,  felt  a  severe  disappointment  in  being,  for 
two  years  more,  confined  to  their  sylvan  fortresses. 
These,  however,  they  embellislied,  and  rendered 
comfortable,  with  gardens  and  farm-grounds,  that, 
to  reside  in  them,  could  no  longer  be  accounted  a 
penance.  Yet,  during  the  Indian  war,  they  were, 
from  motives  of  necessary  caution,  confined  to  ve- 
ry narrow  limits ;  which,  to  those  accustomed  to 
pursue  their  sports  with  all  that  wild  liberty  and 
wide  excursion  peculiar  to  savage  hunters,  was  a 
hardship  of  which  we  can  have  no  idea.  Restrain- 
ed from  this  unbounded  license,  fishing  became 
their  next  favourite  pursuit,  to  which  the  lakes  and 
rivers  on  which  these  forts  were  built,  afibrded 
great  facility.  Tempted  by  the  abundance  and  ex- 
cellence of  the  productions  of  these  copious  waters, 
they  were  led  to  endanger  their  health  by  their  as- 
siduity in  this  amusement.  Agues,  the  disease  of 
all  new  establishments,  became  frequent  among 
them,  and  were  aggravated  by  the  home-sickness, 
To  this  they  were  more  peculiarly  liable  ;  as  the 
regiment,  just  newly  raised  before  they  embarked 
for  America,  had  quitted  the  bosom  of  their  fami- 
lies, without  passing  through  the  gradiition  of 
boarding-schools  and  academies,  as  is  usual  in  oth- 
er countries. 

What  an  unspeakable  blessing  to  the  inhabitants 
were  the  parish  schools  of  the  north,  and  how  much 
humble  worth  and  laborious  diligence  has  been 
found  among  their  teachers.  In  those  lowly  semi- 
naries boys  not  only  attained  the  rudiments  of 
learning,  but  the  principles  of  loyalty  and  genuine 
religion,  with  the  al)atement  of  a  small  tincture  of 
idolatry  ;  of  which  their  household  gods  were  the 
only  objects.  Never  surely  was  a  mode  of  educa- 
tion '^o  calculated  to  cherish  attachment  to  those 
tutcur  deities.    Even  the  Laird's  sou  hud  often  a 


ii'  ' 


ralue  to 
ined. 
•  return 
ng,  for 
tresses, 
mdcred 
s,  that) 
untcd  a 
y  werC| 
d  to  ve- 
>med  to 
irty  and 
5,  was  a 
c St rain - 
became 
ikcs  and 
afibrded 
and  ex- 
waters, 
heir  as- 
scasc  of 
among 
ickness. 
;  as  the 
nbarked 
nr  fami- 
ition  of 
1  in  oth- 

labitants 
)w  nuich 
las  been 
ly  scmi- 
icnts  of 
genuine 
icture  of 
vcvc  the 
f  educa- 
to  those 
J  often  a 


AN  AMERICAN  LADY. 


2§I 


mile  or  two  to  walk  to  his  day  school ;  a  neighbour- 
ing tenant's  son  carried  the  basket  which  contained 
his  simple  dinner ;  and  still  as  they  went  along 
they  were  joined  by  other  fellow-travellers  in  the 
paths  of  learning.  How  cordial  were  those  inti- 
macies, formed  in  the  early  period  of  lilc  and  of 
the  day,  while  nature  smiled  around  in  dewy  fresh- 
ness !  How  gladdening  to  the  kind  and  artless 
heart  were  these  early  walks  through  the  wild  vari- 
etiesj  of  a  romantic  country,  and  among  the  peace- 
ful cottages  of  simple  peasants,*  from  whence  the 
incense  of  praise ,  "  in  sounds  by  distance  made 
more  sweet,*'  roi.e  on  the  morning  breeze  !  How 
cheering  was  the  mid-day  sport,  amid  their  native 
burns  and  braes,  without  the  coniincmcnt  of  a  for- 
mal play-ground  !  How  delightful  the  evening  walk 
homeward,  animated  by  the  consciousness  of  being 
about  to  meet  all  that  was  dearest  to  the  artless  and 
affectionate  mind  I  Thus  the  constitution  was  im- 
proved with  the  understanding ;  and  they  carried 
abroad  into  active  life,  the  rigid  fibre  of  the  robust 
and  hardy  frame,  and  the  warm  and  fond  afTectiotis 
of  the  heart,  uncorrupted  and  true  to  its  first  at- 
tachments. Never  sure  were  youth's  first  glowing 
feelings  more  alive  than  in  the  mmds  of  those  young 
soldiers.  From  school  they  were  hurried  into  the 
greatest  fatigues  I'nd  hardships,  and  the  horrors  of 
the  most  sanguiuaiy  war ;  and  from  thente  trans- 
ported to  the  depth  of  those  cenutxl  fo.cats,  where 
they  foniied  to  themselves  a  little  world,  whose 
greatest  charm  was  the  cherished  recollection  of 
the  simple  and  endeared  scenes  of  their  childhood, 
and  of  the  beloved  relations  whom  they  had  left 
behind}  and   to  whom  they  languished  to  return. 

*  The  Scottish  peasants,  when  they  return  to  brcnkfiist  from 
their  curly  labours,  always  read  a  portum  of  Hcri|«tur«:,  niiijj 
M)me  part  of  a  paaitn,  ami  pray.  This  praolice  is  too  gem  ral, 
cither  to  diminish  ihcerfuluess,  orcoicey  th»'  idea  of  superior 
sanctity  ;  while  the  effect  of  vocal  luusic,  rising  at  oucc  IVom  S** 
Xttftuy  separate  dwcliiiig!i>  is  very  iwpriaMvv. 


*t> 


.(■*» 


Iter] 
It' 


1MEMOIRS  OF 


They  hud  not  gone  through  the  ordeal  of  the  world, 
and  could  not  cheer  their  exile  by  retracing  its 
ways,  its  fashions,  or  its  amusements.  It  is  this 
domestic  education,  that  unbroken  series  of  home 
joys  and  tender  remembrances,  that  render  the  na- 
tives of  the  north  so  faithful  to  their  filial  and  fra- 
ternal duties,  and  so  attached  to  a  bleak  and  rugged 
region,  excelled  in  genial  warmth  of  climate,  and 
fertility  of  soil,  in  every  country  to  which  the  spirit 
of  adventure  leads  them. 

I  was  now  restored  to  my  niche  at  Aunt  Schuy- 
ler's, and  not  a  little  delighted  with  the  importance 
which,  in  this  eventful  crisis,  seemed  to  attach  to 
her  opinions.  The  times  were  too  agitated  to  ad- 
mit of  h(M'  paying  much  attention  to  me  :  but  I,  who 
took  the  deepest  interest  in  what  was  going  on,  and 
heard  of  nothing,  abroad  or  at  home,  but  Indians, 
and  sieges,  and  campaigns,  was  doubly  awake  to 
all  the  conversation  I  heard  at  home. 

The  expedition  proceeded  under  General  Brad- 
street,  while  my  fatlier,  recommended  to  his  atten- 
tion by  Madame,  held  some  temporary  employment 
about  mustering  the  troops.  My  friend  had  now 
the  satibiection  of  seeing  her  plans  succeed  in  dif- 
ferent instances. 

Philip,  since  known  by  the  title  of  General  Schuy- 
ler, whom  I  have  repeatedly  mentioned,  had  now, 
in  piirsiuince  of  the  mode  »il>o  pointed  out  to  him, 
alliiined  tu  wealth  and  power  j  both  which  Averc 
rapidly  increasing.  His  brother  Cortlandl,  (the 
handsome  savage)  who  had,  by  her  advice,  gone 
into  the  army,  was  returned  from  Ireland,  the  com- 
mander of  a  company  ;  and  married  to  a  very  plea- 
sing and  estimul)le  woman,  whose  perpetual  viva- 
city and  good  humour  threw  a  ray  of  light  over  the 
habitual  reserve  of  her  husband  ;  who  was  amiable 
in  domestic  life,  though  cold  and  distant  in  'lis 
manner.  They  settled  near  the  general,  and  paid 
a  degree  of  attention  to  Madame  that  showed  the 
fiUul  tie  remiuncd  in  full  force. 


AN  AMERICAN  LADY. 


2Qi 


vorld, 
ig  its 
s  this 
home 
he  na- 
id  fra- 
ugged 
e,  and 
;  spirit 

5chuy- 
irtancc 
ach  to 
to  ad- 
I,  who 
311,  and 
ndianS) 
ake  to 

1  Brad- 

s  attcn- 

oyment 

\d  now 

in  dif- 

Schuy- 
ul  now, 
lo  him> 
\\  were 
U,  (the 

,  gone 
ic  com- 

y  plca- 
il  viva- 
ivcr  the 
;in  liable 

in  'lis 
nd  paid 

cd  the 


L* 


The  colonel,  as  he  was  tlicn  called,  had  built  a 
house  near  Albany,  in  the  iLnglish  taste,  compara- 
tively magnificent,  where  his  family  resided,  and 
where  he  carried  on  the  business  of  his  department. 
Thirty  miles  or  more  above  Albany,  in  the  direc- 
tion of  the  Flats,  and  near  the  far-famed  Saratoga, 
which  was  to  be  the  scene  of  his  future  triumph,  he 
had  another  establishment.  It  was  here  that  the- 
colonel's  political  and  economical  genius  hud  full 
scope.  He  had  always  the  command  of  a  great 
number  of  those  workmen  who  were  employed  in 
public  buildings,^  &c.  Those  were  always  in  con- 
stant pay ;  it  being  necessary  to  engage  them  in 
that  manner;  and  \vere,  from  the  change  of  sea- 
sons, the  shutting  of  the  ice,  and  other  circum- 
stances, months  unemployed.  All  these  seasons, 
when  public  business  was  interrupted,  the  work- 
men were  employed  in  constructing  squares  ot 
buildings  in  the  nature  of  barracks,  for  the  purpose 
of  lodging  artisans  and  labonrp-.  n  of  all  khicls.  Hav- 
ing previously  obtained  a  larg-j  tract  of  very  fertile 
lands  from  the  crown,  on  w'lich  he  built  a  spacious 
and  convenient  house  ;  he  constructed  those  bar- 
racks at  a  distance,  not  only  as  a  nursery  for  the 
arts  which  he  meant  to  encourage,  but  as  the  ma- 
terials of  a  f''*ure  colony,  which  he  meant  to  plant 
out  around  him.  He  had  here  a  number  of  ne- 
grocs  well  acquainted  with  felling  of  trees  and 
managing  saw -mills  ;  of  which  he  erected  several. 
And  while  these  were  employed  in  carrying  on  a 
very  advantageous  trade  of  deals  and  lumber,  which 
were  floated  down  on  rafts  to  New-York,  they  were 
at  the  same  time  clearing  the  ground  for  the  colony 
the  colonel  was  preparing  to  establish. 

This   new  settlement  was  an  asylum  for  every 
one  who  wanted  bread  and  a  home  :  from  the  varie- 
ty of  employments  regularly  distributed,  every  ar-  • 
Usan  and  every  labourer   found   here   lodging  and 
occupation:    some   hundreds   of   people,   indeed, 


•      '■?'♦!! 


(:« 


m 


i 


'if    1^1 


264 


MEMOIRS  OF 


T 


[tV 


i' 


were  employed  at  once.  Those  who  were  in  %\  in- 
ter engaged  at  the  saw-mills,  were  in  summer 
equally  busied  at  a  large  and  productive  fishery. 
The  artisans  got  lodging  and  firing  for  two  or  three 
years,  at  first,  besides  being  well  paid  for  every 
thing  they  did.  Flax  was  raised,  and  dressed,  and 
finally  spun  and  made  iwto  linen  there  ;  and  as  arti- 
sans were  very  scarce  in  the  country,  every  one 
sent  linen  to  weave,  flax  to  dress,  6cc.  to  the  colo- 
nel's colony.  He  paid  them  liberally  ;  and  having 
always  abundance  of  money  in  his  hands,  could  af- 
ford to  be  the  loser  at  first,  to  be  amply  repaid  in 
the  end.  It  is  inconceivable  what  dexterity,  ad- 
dress, and  deep  policy  were  exhibited  iu  the  man- 
agement of  this  new  settlement ;  the  growth  of 
which  was  rapid  beyond  belief  Every  mechanic 
ended  in  being  a  farmer,  that  is  a  i)rofitable  tenant 
to  the  owner  of  the  soil ;  .nnd  new  recruits  of  arti- 
sans from  the  north  of  Ireland  cJiiefly  supplied 
♦  heir  place,  nourishod  witli  tho  golden  dews  which 
this  sagacious  projector  could  so  easily  command. 
The  liipid  increase  and  advantageous  result  of  this 
establishment  were  astonishing.  'Tis  impossible 
for  my  imperfect  recollection  to  do  justice  to  the 
capacity  displayed  in  these  regulations.  But  I  have 
thus  endeavoured  to  trace  to  its  original  source  that 
wealth  and  po\\cr  which  became,  afterwards,  the 
means  of  supporting  an  aggression  so  formidable. 


mi  L  ' 


♦♦  "i 


CHAP.  LII. 

Madamc's  Popularity. — Exchange  of  Prisoners. 

IN  the  front  of  Madame's  house  was  a  portico,  to- 
wards the  street.  To  this  she  w  .s  supported,  in 
fine  evenings,  when  the  whole  town  were  tnjoyinjj 


as  fa 

on  t 

whic 

an  ei 

com< 

us, 

saw 

Poiu 

oft 

bicd 

able 

able 

fiaga< 

Afu- 

the  1 

cndei 


AN  AMERICAN  LAdY. 


idb 


themselves  on  their  respective  scats  of  one  kind 
or  other.  To  her's  there  were  a  few  steps  of  as- 
cent»  on  which  we  used  humbly  to  seat  ourselves; 
while  a  succession  of  "  the  elders  of  that  city"  paid 
their  respects  to  Madame,  and  conversed  with  her 
by  turns.  Neverwaslcveebetterattended.  "Aunt 
Schuyler  is  come  out,"  was  a  talismanic  sentence 
that  produced  pleasure  in  every  countenance,  and 
set  every  one  in  motion  who  hoped  to  be  well  re- 
ceived: for,  as  1  have  formerly  observed,  Aunt 
knew  the  value  of  time  much  too  well  to  devote  it 
to  every  one.  Wc  lived  all  this  time  next  door  to 
her,  and  were  often  of  these  evening  parties. 

The  Indian  war  was  now  drawing  to  a  close,  af- 
ter occasioning  great  disquiet,  boundless  expense^ 
and  some  bloodshed.  Even  when  we  had  tUe  ad- 
vantage which  our  tactics  and  artillery  in  some  in- 
stances gave,  it  was  a  warfare  of  the  most  preca- 
rious and  perplexing  kind.  It  was  something  like 
hunting  in  a  forest  at  best ;  cculd  you  but  have  sup- 
posed the  animals  you  pursued  armed  with  missile 
weapons,  and  ever  ready  to  start  out  of  some  uii- 
looked  for  place.  Our  faithful  Indian  confederates, 
as  far  as  1  can  recollect,  were  more  useful  to  us 
on  this  occasion  than  all  the  dour  bought  apparatus, 
which  we  collected  for  the  purpose  of  destroying 
an  enemy  too  wise  and  too  swift  to  permit  us  to 
come  ii)  sight  of  them  ;  or,  if  determined  to  attack 
us,  sufficiently  dextrous  to  nuike  us  feel  before  wo 
saw  them.  We  said,  however,  that  we  conquered 
l*ondiac,  at  which  no  doubt  he  smiled  :  for  the  truth 
of  the  matter  was,  the  conduct  of  this  war  resem- 
bled a  protracted  game  of  chess.  Me  was  as  little' 
able  to  take  our  lorts  without  cannon,  as  we  were 
able  without  the  feet,  the  eyes,  and  the  instinctive 
Svigacity  of  Indians,  to  trace  them  to  their  retreats. 
After  delighting  ourselves  for  a  long  while  with 
the  manr*er  in  which  wc  were  to  punish  I*otidiac's 
piosuMiption,  "  coii'if  we  but  oucc  cufch  fiiin^'*  all 
ended  in  our  making  a  treaty,  very  honourable  for 

A  A 


i 


■'>^m 


t 

k 


w, 


366 


MKMOIRSOF 


:k 


him,  and  not  very  disadvantageous  to  aurselvej^. 
V/e  gave  both  presents  and  pronnscs,  and  Fondiac 
i^ave — permission  to  the  mothers  of  tiiose  children 
uho  had  been  taken  away  from  the  frontier  settle- 
ments to  receive  them  back  again,  on  condition  of 
delivering  up  the  Indian  prisoners. 

The  joyful  day  when  the  congress  was  held  for 
ronckulirig  peace  I  never  shall  forget.  Ano- 
ther memorable  day  is  engraven  in  indelible 
characters  upon  my  memory.  Madame,  being 
deeply  interested  in  the  projected  exchange, 
brought  about  a  scheme  for  having  it  take  place  at 
Albany,  which  was  more  central  than  any  other 
place,  and  where  her  inHuenec  among  the  Mo- 
hawks could  be  of  use  ill  getting  intelligence  about 
the  children,  and  sending  messages  to  those  who 
had  adopted  them,  and  who,  by  this  time,  were 
very  unwilling  to  part  with  them.  In  the  first  place 
because  they  were  growing  very  fond  of  them  ;  and 
again,  because  they  thou;;ht  the  children  would 
not  be  so  happy  in  our  manner  of  life,  which  ap 
peared  to  them  both  constrained  and  efleminate. 
This  exchange  hud  a  large  rotrcipect.  Tor  ten 
years  back  there  had  been,  every  now  and  then, 
while  these  Indians  were  in  the  l-'rerch  interest, 
ravages  upon  the  frontiers  of  the  dilVcrent  provin- 
ces. In  many  iiistances  these  children  had  been 
snatched  away  while  their  parents  were  working  in 
the  iiekls,  or  after  they  weie  killed.  A  ccrt:dn  day 
was  appointed,  on  w  hich  all  who  ha.  lost  their  chil- 
dren, or  sought  those  of  their  relations,  were  to 
come  to  Albany  in  search  of  them  ;  w  here,  on  thai 
day,  all  Indians  possessed  of  white  children  were 
to  probt  III  them.  Poor  women,  who  had  travelled 
some  huudred  miles  from  the  back  scitltments  of 
Pennsylvania  and  New  England,  appeared  here, 
with  anxious  looks  and  aching  hearts,  not  knowing 

whether  their  children  were  alive,  or  how  exaclly 
to  identify  them  if  they  should   meet  them.     I  ob- 

icrvc J  th'.  ^e  apprehensive  anu  tender  mothet s  were. 


^ 


AN  AMERICAN  LADY. 


267 


•solveH. 

hiklren 

seltlc- 

ition  of 

leld  ibr 
Ano- 
idcliblc 
,   being 
change, 
place  at 
y  other 
he  Mo- 
:c  about 
>sc  who 
c,  were 
St  place 
.m  ;  and 
1   would 
lich  ap 
.nninatc. 
Tor  ten 
id    then, 
interest, 

provin- 
ad  been 
irkinp;  in 
vvAn  day 
leir  chil- 

werc  to 
;,  on  thai 
en  were 
travelled 
mcnts  ot 
cil  here, 
knowing; 
iV  exactly 
u.  I  ol)- 
icia  wi'rcj 


thoiij'jh  poor  people,  all  dressed  with  peculiarncat- 
ness  and  attention,  each  wishing  the  first  impres- 
sion her  child  should  receive  of  her  might  be  a  fa- 
vourable one.  On  a  gentle  slope  near  the  fort,  stood 
a  row  of  temporary  huts,  built  by  retainers  to  the 
troops :  the  green  before  these  buildings  was  the 
scene  of  these  pathetic  recognitions ;  which  I  did 
not  fail  to  attend.     The  jfjy  of  even  the  happy  mo- 
thers was  ovcrj)owering,  and  found  vent  in  tears; 
but  not  like  the  bitter  tears  of  those  who,  after  long 
travel,  found  not  ^^hatllH•y  sought.     It  was  affect- 
ing to  seethe  deep  and  siUmiI  sorrov/  of  the  Indian 
women,  and  of  the   children,  who   knew   no  other 
mother,  and   clung    fondly  to  their  bosoms,  from 
whence  they  were  not  torn  without  the  most  pierc- 
ing shrieks;  while  their  own  fond  mothers   were 
distressed  beyond  measure  at  the  shyness  and  aver- 
sion with  which  these  long  lostobjectsof  their  love 
received  their  caresses.     I  shall   never  forget   the 
grotesque  figures  and  wild  looks  of  these  young 
savages;  nor  the  trembling  haste  with  which  their 
mothers  arrayed  them  in  the  new  clothes  they  had 
brought  for  them,  as  hoping  that,  with  the  Indian 
dress,  they   would  throw  ofl'  their   habits  and  at- 
tachments.    It  was  in  short  a  scene  impossible  to 
describe,  but  most  affecting  to  behold.     Never  was 
my  good  friend's  considerate  liberality  and  useful 
sympathy  more  fully  exerted  than  on  this  occasion, 
which  brought  so  many  poor  travellers  from  their 
distant  homes  on  this   pilgrimage  to  the  shrine  of 
nature.    How  many  traders  did  slie  persuade  to  take 
them  gratis  in  their  boats  I  How  many  did  she  feed 
and  lodge  !  and  in  what  various  ways  did  she  serve 
or  make  others  serve  them  al).     No  one    indeed 
knew  how  to  refuse  a   request  of  Aunt  Schuyler, 
who  never  made  one  for  herself. 


% 


■  i'^"^i 


'••!| 


"'I 


^!^:  ;:*■ 


."^68 


MEMOIRS  OF 


CHAP.  LII. 


:¥: 


•"J;' 


'  !■ .. 


:i:f 


^:.!♦; 


T?cturn  of  the  SStli  Resiment  to  Europe— Privates  sent  to 

Pcnsacola. 


T, 


HE  55tli  now  left  their  calm  abodes  amidstthcir 
lakes  and  forests,  with  the  joy  of  children  breaking- 
'ip  ironi  thtir  school;  little  aware  that  they  were 
DiddingVlieii  to  quiet,  plenty,  and  freedom,  and 
utter  strangers  to  the  world,  into  which  they  were 
about  to  plunge.  They  all  came  down  to  Al- 
bany. Captain  Mungo  Campbell  was  charmed  to 
find  mc  so  familiar  with  his  Milton;  while  I  was 
equally  charmed  to  find  him  a  favourite  with  Aunt 
iSchuyler,  which  was  with  me  the  criterion  of  merit. 
Colonel  Duncan,  for  such  he  was  now,  marched 
proudly  at  the  head  of  his  pupils,  whom  he  had 
carried  up  raw  youths,  but  brought  back  with  all  the 
manly  and  soldierly  openness  of  manner  and  cha- 
racter that  could  be  wished,  and  with  minds  great- 
ly improved.  Meanwhile  Madame'scounsels  had 
so  much  influence  on  my  father,  that  he  began  se- 
riously to  think  of  settling  in  America.  To  part 
with  his  beloved  55th  was  very  trying ;  yet  his  pros- 
pects of  advantage  in  remaining  among  a  people 
by  whom  he  was  esteemed,  and  to  whom  he  had 
really  become  attached,  were  very  flattering;  for 
by  the  aid  of  Aunt  and  the  old  inhabitants,  and 
friendly  Indians,  who  were  at  her  powerful  bidding, 
he  could  expect  to  get  advantageously  some  lands 
which  he,  in  common  with  other  officers  who  serv- 
ed in  America,  was  entitled  to.  He,  having  a  right 
to  apply  for  the  allotted  quantity  wherever  he  found 
it  vacant,  that  is,  in  odd  unoccupied  places,  between 
different  patents,  which  it  required  much  local 
knowledge  of  the  country  to  discover,  had  greatly 
the  advantage  of  strangers;  because  he  could  get 
information  of  those  secluded  spots  here  and  there 


AN  AMERICAN  LADY. 


369 


that  were  truly  valuable;  whereas  other  officers 
belonging  to  regiments  disbanded  in  the  coun- 
try, either  did  not  find  it  convenient  to  go  to  the 
expense  of  taking  out  a  patent  and  surveying  the 
lands,  and  so  sold  their  rights  for  a  trifle  to  others  ; 
or  else  half  a  dozen  went  together,  and  made  a 
choice,  generally  an  injudicious  one,  of  some  large 
tract  of  ground,  which  would  not  have  been  so  long 
unsolicited  had  it  been  of  real  value.  My  father 
bought  the  rights  of  two  young  officers  who  were 
in  a  hurry  to  go  to  Europe,  and  had  not  perhaps 
wherewithal  to  go  through  the  necessary  forms  used 
to  appropriate  a  particular  spot,  the  expense  of 
that  process  being  considerable.  Accordingly  he 
became  a  consequential  lan^.lholder,  and  had  his 
half-pay  to  boot. 

The  55th  were  now  preparing  to  embark  for  that 
home  which  they  regarded  with  enthusiasm ;  this 
extended  to  the  lowest  ranks,  who  were  absolutely 
home-sick.  They  had,  too,  from  the  highest  to 
the  lowest,  been  enabled,  from  their  unexpensive 
mode  of  living,  to  lay  up  some  money.  Never  was 
there  a  body  of  men  more  uncorrupted  and  more 
attached  to  each  other.  Military  men  contract  a  love 
of  variety  in  their  wandering  manner  of  life,  and 
always  imagine  they  are  to  find  some  enjoyment  in 
the  next  quarters  that  they  have  not  had  in  this ; 
so  that  the  order  for  march  is  generally  a  joyful 
summons  to  the  younger  officers  at  least.  To  tlicsc 
novices,  who,  when  they  thought  the  world  of  va- 
riety, glory,  and  preferment  was  open  before  them, 
were  ordered  up  into  the  depth  of  unexplored 
forests,  to  be  kept  stationary  for  years  without  even 
the  amusement  of  a  battle,  it  was  sufficiently  dis- 
appointing. Yet  afterwards  I  have  been  told  that, 
in  all  the  changes  to  which  this  hapless  regiment 
was  subjected,  they  looked  back  on  the  years  spent 
on  the  lakes  as  the  happiest  of  their  lives. 

My  father  parted  with  them  with  extreme  regret, 
but  he  had  passed  the  Rubicon ;  that  isto  say,  taken 

A  A  2 


■\f 


m 


i 


270 


MEMOIRS  OF 


\*:  J 


■'  *r 


out  his  patent,  and  stay  he  must.  He  went  however 
to  New-York  with  them,  and  here  a  very  unexpect- 
ed scene  (opened.  Many  of  the  spldiers  who  hud 
saved  little  sums  had  deposited  them  in  my  father's 
hands,  and,  when  he  gave  every  one  his  own  at 
New-York,  he  had  great  pleasure  in  seeing  their 
exultation,  and  the  purchases  they  were  making. 
When,  all  of  a  sudden,  a  thunderbolt  burst  among 
these  poor  fellows,  in  the  shape  of  an  order  to  draft 
the  greatest  part  of  them  to  Pensacola :  to  renew 
regiments  who,  placed  on  a  bar  of  burning  sand, 
with  a  salt  marsh  before  and  a  sv/ump  behind  were 
lingering  out  a  wretched  and  precarious  existence, 
daily  cut  short  by  disease  in  some  new  instance. 
Words  are  very  inadequate  to  give  an  idea  of  the 
Ijorror  that  pervaded  this  band  of  veterans.  When 
ihis  order  was  most  unexpectedly  read  at  the  head 
of  the  regiment,  it  was  worse  to  the  most  of  them 
than  a  sentence  of  immediate  death  :  they  were 
going  to  a  dismal  and  detested  quarter,  and  they 
were  going  to  become  part  of  a  regiment  of  no  re- 
pute ;  whom  they  themselves  had  held  in  the  ut- 
most contempt  when  they  had  formerly  served  to- 
gether. The  officers  were  not  a  little  affected  by 
this  cruel  order,  to  part  with  the  brave  well  dis- 
ciplined men ;  who,  by  their  singular  good  con- 
duct, and  by  the  habits  of  slmring  with  their  offi- 
cers in  the  chase,  and  in  their  agricultural  amuse- 
ments, fishing-parties,  8cc.  had  acquired  a  kindly 
nearness  to  them  not  usually  subsisting  between 
those  who  command  and  tliey  who  must  implicitly 
obey.  What  ties  were  broke  !  what  hopes  were 
blasted  by  this  fatal  order !  These  sad  exiles  em- 
barked for  Pensacola  at  the  same  time  thdt  their 
comrades  set  out  for  Ireland.  My  futiicr  returned, 
sunk  in  the  deepest  sadness,  Avhich  wds  ihciCiSf  d 
by  our  place  of  abode  :  for  we  had  removed  to  the 
forsaken  fort,  where  there  was  no  creature  but  cur- 
selves  and  three  or  four  soldiers  who  chose  to  stav 


AN  AMERICAN  LADY. 


271 


in  the  country,  and  for  whom  my  father  had  pro- 
cured their  discharge. 

I  was  in  the  mean  time  more  intimate  than  ever 
at  Aunt  Schuyler's  ;  attracted  not  only  by  her  kind- 
ness, but  my  admiration  for  Mrs.  Cuyler,  and  at- 
tachment for  her  lovely  little  girl.  The  husband 
of  the  former  was  now  returned  from  his  West 
India  voyage,  and  they  retired  to  a  house  of  their 
own,  meaning  to  succeed  to  that  business  which  the 
mayor,  now  wealthy  and  infirm,  was  quitting. 
C'ortluiult  Schuyler,  the  general's  brother,  and  his 
sprightly  agreeable  wife,  were  now,  as  well  as  the 
couple  formerly  mentioned,  frequent  visitors  at 
Aunt's,  and  made  a  very  pleasing  addition  to  her 
familiar  circle.  I  began  to  be  considered  as  almost 
a  child  of  the  family,  and  Madame  took  much  pains 
in  instructing  me,  hoping  that  I  would  coiktinue  at- 
tached to  her,  and  knowing  that  my  parents  vere 
much  flattered  by  her  kindness,  and  fully  conscious 
of  the  advantages  I  derived  from  it.  With  licr  aid 
my  father's  plan  of  proceeding  was  fully  digested. 
He  was  to  survey  ixnd  locate  his  lands,  (that  was  the 
pljruse  used  for  such  transactions,)  and  at  leisure 
(as  the  price  of  lands  was  daily  rising,)  to  let  them 
out  on  lease.  He  was  to  reserve  a  good  farm  for 
himself,  but  not  to  reside  upon  it  till  the  lands 
around  it  were  cultivated ;  and  so  many  settlers 
gone  up  as  would  make  the  district  in  a  degree 
civilized  and  populous  ;  a  change  w  hich  was  like 
to  take  place  very  rapidly,  as  there  were  daily  emi- 
grations to  that  neighbourhood,  which  was  become, 
a  favourite  rallying  point,  on  account  of  a  flourish- 
ing and  singularly  well  conducted  settlement  which 
1  have  already  mentioned,  under  the  auspices  of 
Colonel  Schuyler  in  this  quarter. 


T<fl 


to  Rtav 


^>. 


0^^    \^% 


IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-3) 


// 


{./ 


h 


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1.0 


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li^ 


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im 


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1.6 

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». 

m 


n 


O^ii 


^^v 


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o 


7 


/A 


Hiotographic 

Sciences 

Corporation 


33  WIST  MAIN  STRUT 

WIBSTIR,N.Y.  14SI0 

(716)  173-4503 


^>^ 
>» 


V; 


272 


MEMOIRS  OF 


CHAP.  LTV. 


I 


:f, 


A  new  Property.— Visionary  Plans.  » 

IVl  Y  father  went  up  in  summer  with  a  retinue  of 
Indians,  and  disbanded  soldiers,  8cc.  headed  by  a 
land-surveyor.  In  that  country,  men  of  this  descrip- 
tion formed  an  important  and  distinct  profession. 
They  were  provided  with  an  apparatus  of  measur- 
ing-chains, tents,  and  provisions.  It  was  upon  the 
whole  an  expensive  expedition ;  but  this  was  the 
less  to  be  regretted  as  the  object  proved  fully  ade- 
quate. Never  was  a  location  more  fertile  or  more 
valuable,  nor  the  possessor  of  an  estate  more  elated 
with  his  acquisition :  a  beautiful  stream  passed 
through  the  midst  of  the  property ;  beyond  its  lim- 
its on  one  side  rose  a  lofty  eminence  covered  with 
tall  cedar,  which  being  included  in  no  patent,  would 
be  a  common  good,  and  offered  an  inexhaustible 
\  supply  of  timber  and  firing  after  the  lands  should 
be  entirely  cleared.  This  sylvan  scene  appeared, 
even  in  its  wild  state,  to  possess  singular  advanta- 
ges :  it  was  dry  lying  land  without  the  least  particle 
of  swamp,  great  part  of  it  was  covered  with  ches- 
nuts,  the  sure  indication  of  good  wheivt-land,  and 
the  rest  with  white-ouk,  the  never-failing  forerun- 
ner of  good  Indian-corn  and  pasture.  The  ground, 
at  the  time  of  the  survey,  was  in  a  great  measure 
covered  with  strawberries,  the  sure  sign  of  fertili- 
ty. And  better  and  better  still,  there  was,  on  a 
considerable  stream  which  watered  this  region  of 
benediction,  a  beaver-dam,  that  was  visibly  of  at 
least  fifty  years  standing.  What  particular  addi- 
tion our  overflowing  felicity  was  to  derive  from  the 
nci^l.bourhuod  of  these  sagacious  buildings,  may 
not  be  easily  conjectured.  It  was  not  their  society, 
for  thiy  \vcre  much  too  wise  to  remain  in  our  vici- 
nity) nor  yet  their  example,  which,  tiiuugh  u  very 


% 


!.l 


AN  AMERICAN  LADY. 


2r9 


good  one,  we  were  scarce  wise  enough  to  follow. 
Why  then  did  we  so  much  rejoice  over  the  dwel- 
ling of  these  old  settlers  ?  Merely  because  their 
industry  had  saved  us  much  trouble :  for,  in  the 
course  of  their  labours,  they  had  cleared  above 
thirty  acres  of  excellent  hay-land ;  work  which  we 
should  take  a  long  time  to  execute,  and  not  per- 
form near  so  well ;  the  truth  was,  this  industrious 
colony,  by  whose  previous  labour  we  were  thus  to 
profit,  were  already  extirpated,  to  my  unspeakable 
sorrow,  who  had  been  creating  a  beaver  Utopia 
ever  since  I  heard  of  the  circumstance.  The  pro- 
tection I  was  to  afford  them,  the  acquaintance  1  was 
to  make  with  them,  after  conquering  the  first  shy- 
ness, and  the  delight  I  was  to  have  m  seeing  them 
work,  after  convincing  them  of  their  safety,  occu- 
pied my  whole  attention,  and  helped  to  console  mc 
for  the  drafting  of  the  55th,  which  I  had  been  ever 
since  lamenting.  How  buoyant  is  the  fancy  of  child- 
hood !  I  was  mortified  to  the  utmost  to  hear  there 
"were  no  beavers  remaining ;  yet  the  charming, 
though  simple,  description  my  father  gave  us  of 
this  "  vale  of  bliss,"  which  the  beavers  had  partly 
cleared,  and  the  whole  "  Township  of  Clarendon," 
(so  was  the  new  laid  out  territory  called,)  consoled 
ine  for  all  past  disappointments.  It  is  to  be  ob- 
served that  the  political  and  economical  regulations 
of  the  beavers  make  their  neighbourhood  very  de- 
sirable to  new  settlers.  They  build  houses  and 
dams  with  unwearied  industry,  as  every  oric  that 
has  heard  of  them  must  needs  know  ;  but  their  un- 
conquerable attachment  to  a  particular  spot  is  not 
so  well  known  ;  the  consequence  is,  that  they  work 
more,  and  of  course  clear  more  land  in  some  situ- 
ations tl.an  in  others.  When  they  happen  to  pitch 
upon  a  stream  that  overflows  often  in  spring,  it  is 
apt  to  cany  away  the  dam,  formed  of  large  trees 
laid  across  the  stream,  which  it  has  cost  them  un- 
speakable pains  to  cut  down  and  bring  there.— 
"^Vhcucvcr  these  arc  destroyed  they  cut  down  mofQ 


m 

'  'I 
\% 

*'  t 

H 

f 

t;  > 


1 


# 


.3Z4 


MEMOIRS  or 


trees  and  construct  another ;  and,  as  they  live  air 
winter  on  the  tender  twigs  IVom  the  underwood  and 
bark  which  they  strip  from  poplar  and  alder,  they 
soon  clear  these  also  from  the  vicinity.  In  the  day- 
time they  either  mend  their  houses,  lay  up  stores 
in  them,  or  iish,  sitting  upon  their  dams  made  for 
that  purpose.  The  night  they  employ  in  cutting 
down  trees,  which  they  always  do  so  as  to  make 
them  fall  towards  the  stream,  or  in  dragging  them 
to  the  dam.  Meanwhile  they  have  always  sentinels 
placed  near  to  give  the  alarm,  in  case  of  any  intru- 
sion. It  is  hard  to  say  when  these  indefatigable 
animals  refresh  themselves  with  sleep.  1  have 
seen  those  that  have  been  taken  young  and  made 
very  tame,  so  that  they  followed  their  owner  about ; 
even  in  these  the  instinct  which  prompts  their  noc- 
turnal labours  was  apparent.  Whenever  all  was 
quiet  they  began  to  work.  Being  discontented 
and  restless,  if  confined,  it  was  usual  to  leave  them 
in  the  yard.  They  seemed  in  their  civilized,  or 
rather  degraded  state,  to  retain  an  idea  that  it  was 
necessary  to  convey  materials  for  building  to  their 
wonted  habitation.  The  consequence  was,  that  a 
single  one  would  carry  such  quanties  of  wood  to 
the  back  dooi*,  that  you  would  find  your  way  block- 
ed up  in  the  morning  to  a  degree  almost  incredi- 
ble. 

Being  very  much  inclined  to  be  happy,  and 
abundant  in  resources,  the  simple  felicity  which 
was  at  some  future  period  to  prevail  among  the 
amiable  and  innocent  tenants  we  were  to  have  at 
Clarendon,  filled  mv  whole  mind.  Before  this  flat- 
tering vision,  all  pamful  recollections,  and  even  all 
the  violent  love  which  I  had  pursuaded  myself  to 
feel  for  my  native  Britain,  entirely  vanished. 

The  only  thing  that  disturbed  me,  was  Aunt 
Schuyler's  age,  and  the  thoughts  of  outliving  her, 
which  sometimes  obtruded  among  my  day  dreams 
of  more  than  mortal  happiness.  I  thought  all  this 
could  scarce  admit  of  addition ;  yet  a  new  source 


was 

ha( 

^poi 


AN  AMERICAN  LADY. 


srs 


ve  air 
•d  and 
»  they 
e  day- 
stores 
de  Tor 
utting 
make 
;  them 
ntinels 
'  intru- 
tigablc 
1   have 
i  made 
about ; 
eir  noc- 
all  was 
ntcnted 
e  them 
zed,  or 
t  it  was 
to  their 
iy  that  a 
wood  to 
1^  block- 
incredi- 

^y,  and 
which 
ong  the 
have  at 
this  flat- 
even  all 
tiyself  to 

i. 

as  Aunt 

ing  her, 

dreams 

t  all  this 
\y  source 


of  joy  was  opened,  when  I  found  that  we  were  ac- 
tually going  to  live  at  the  Flats.  That  spot,  ren- 
dered sacred  by  the  residence  of  Aunt,  where  I 
should  trace  her  steps  wherever  I  moved,  dwell 
under  the  shadow  of  her  trees,  and,  in  short,  find 
her  in  every  thing  I  saw.  We  did  not  aspire  to  se- 
rious farming,  reserving  that  effort  for  our  own  es- 
tate, of  which  we  talked  very  magnificently,  and 
indeed  had  some  reason,  it  being  as  valuable  as  so 
much  land  could  be ;  and  from  its  situation  in  a 
part  of  the  country  which  was  hourly  acquiring 
fresh  inhabitants,  its  value  daily  increased,  which 
consideration  induced  my  father  to  refuse  several 
offers  for  it ;  resolved  either  to  people  it  with  High- 
land emigrants,  or  retain  it  in  his  own  hands  till  he 
should  get  his  price.  »   - 

Sir  Henry  Moove,  the  last  British  governor  of 
New-York  that  I  remember,  came  up  this  summer 
to  see  Albany,  and  the  ornament  of  Albany — Aunt 
Schuyler;  he  brought  Lady  Moore  and  his  daugh- 
ter with  him.  They  resided  for  some  time  at  Ge- 
neral Schuyler's,  I  call  him  so  by  anticipation ;  for 
sure  I  am,  had  any  gifted  seer  foretold  then  what 
was  to  happen,  he  would  have  been  ready  to  an- 
swer, **  Is  thy  servant  a  dog,  that  he  should  do  this 
thing."  Sir  Harry,  like  many  of  his  predecessors, 
was  a  mere  show  governor,  and  old  Cadwallader 
Colder,,  the  lieutenant  governor,  continued  to  do 
the  business,  and  enjoy  the  power  hi  its  most  es- 
sential brunches,  such  as  giving  patents  for  lands, 
8tc.  Sir  Harry,  in  the  mean  time,  had  never 
thought  of  business  in  his  life  ;  he  was  honourable 
as  fur  as  a  man  could  be  so,  who  always  spent  more 
than  he  had;  he  was,  however,  gay,  good  natured, 
and  well  bred,  aflublc  and  courteous  in  a  very  high 
degree,  and  if  the  business  of  a  governor  was  mere- 
ly to  keep  the  governed  in  good  humour,  no  one 
was  fitter  for  that  office  than  l.o,  the  more  so,  as  he 
hud  sense  enough  to  know  two  things  of  great  im- 
^portance  to  be  known  :  one  was,  that  a  person  of 


I 


:i76 


MEMOIRS  or 


% 


tried  wisdom  and  good  experience  like  Colden)  wad 
fitter  to  transact  the  business  of  the  province,  tlian 
any  dependant  of  Iiis  own  :  the  other,  that  he  was 
totally  unfit  to  manage  it  himself.  The  govern- 
ment house  was  the  scene  of  frequent  festivities 
and  Mcekly  concerts,  Sir  Henry  being  very  musical^ 
and  Liidy  Moore  peculiarly  fitted  for  doing  the  ho- 
nours of  a  drawing-room  or  enteKainment.  They 
were  too  fashionable,  and  too  much  hurried  to  find 
time  for  particular  friendships,  and  too  good  natu- 
red  and  well  bred  to  make  invidious  distinctions, 
8o  that,  without  gaining  very  much  either  of  esteem 
or  affection,  they  pleased  every  one  in  the  circle 
around  them  ;  and  this  general  civility  of  theirs,  in 
^Jie  storm  which  was  about  to  rise,  had  its  use.  In 
the  beginning,  before  the  tempest  broke  loose  in 
all  its  fury,  it  was  like  oil  poured  on  agitated  wa- 
ters, which  produces  a  temporary  calm  immediate- 
ly round  the  ship.  As  yet  the  storm  only  muttered 
at  a  distance,  but  Mudamc  was  disturbed. by  anx- 
ious presages.     In  her  cuse, 


V.' 


**  Old  experience  actiiaUy  did  nitnin 
*♦  To  something  like  prophetic  strain." 


But  it  was  not  new  to  her  to  prophesy  in  vain.  I, 
for  my  part,  was  charmed  with  these  exalted  visi- 
tors of  Aunts,  and  not  a  little  proud  of  their  atten- 
tion to  her,  not  knowing  that  they  showed  pretty 
much  the  same  attention  to  every  one. 

While  1  was  dancing  on  air  with  the  thoughts 
of  going  to  live  at  the  riats,  of  the  beauties  of  Cla- 
rendon, and  many  other  delights  which  I  had  crea- 
ted to  myself,  an  event  took  place  that  plunged  us 
all  in  sorrow  ;  it  was  the  death  of  the  lovely  child 
Catalina,  who  was  the  object  of  nmch  fondness  to 
us  all,  for  my  parents,  bating  the  allowance  to  be 
made  for  entliu-jiusm.  Mere  as  fond  of  her  as  1  was; 
Madame  had  set  her  heart  very  much  on  this  enga- 
ging creature  ;  she  nuisierccl  up  all  her  fortitude 
to  support  the  parents  of  her  departed  luvountc, 


AN  AMERICAN  LADY. 


277 


but  suft'ercd  much  notwithstanding.  Here  began 
my  acquaintance  with  sorrow.  We  went,  however, 
to  the  Flats  in  autumn.  Our  family  consisted  of  a 
negro  ^irl,  and  a  soldier,  who  had  followed  my  fa- 
ther's fortunes  from  Scotland,  and  stuck  to  him 
through  every  change.  We  did  not  mean  to  farm, 
but  had  merely  the  garden,  orchard,  and  enclosure 
for  hay,  two  cows,  a  horse  for  my  father,  and  a  colt, 
which,  to  my  great  delight,  was  given  me  as  a  pre- 
sent. Many  sources  of  cotnfort  and  amusement 
were  now  cut  off  from  Madame,  her  nephew  and 
his  lively  and  accomplished  wife  had  left  her.  Dr. 
Ogilvie  was  removed  to  New-York,  and  had  a  suc- 
cessor no  way  calculated  to  supply  his  place.  This 
year  she  had  lost  her  brother-in-law  Cornelius 
Cuyler,*  whose  sound  sense  and  intelligence  made 
his  society  of  consequence  to  her,  independent  of 
the  great  esteem  and  affection  she  had  for  him.-~ 
The  army,  among  whom  she  always  found  persons 
of  information  and  good  breeding,  in  whose  con- 
versation she  could  take  pleasure  which  might  be 


*  This  estimable  character  had  for  the  space  of  forty  year* 
(which  inchided  very  important  and  critical  conjunctures)  been 
chief  magistrate  of  Albany,  and  its  district.  A  situation  calou" 
lated  to  demand  the  utmost  integrity  and  impartiality,  and  to 
exercise  all  the  powers  of  a  m<nd,  acute,  vigilant,  and  compre- 
hensive. The  less  he  was  amenable  to  the  control  and  direc- 
tion of  his  kupcriors,  the  more  liable  was'he  to  the  animadver- 
sions ot  his  fellow  citizens,  had  he  in  the  least  departed  from  that 
i'cotitude  which  made  him  the  object  of  their  confidence  and 
A  cneration.  Tie  administered  justice,  not  so  much  in  conformity 
to  written  laws,  as  to  that  rule  of  equity  within  his  own  breast, 
the  application  of  which  was  directed  by  sound  sense,  improved 
by  experience.  I  by  no  means  insinuate,  that  he  eitltcr  neg- 
lected or  disobeyed  those  laws,  by  which,  in  all  doubtful  cases  he 
u  ns  certainly  guided ;  but  that  tne  nncorrupte<l  state  of  public 
morals,  and  the  entire  confidence  which  his  lellow-citizens  repo« 
Ncd  in  his  probity,  rendered  appeals  to  the  law,  for  the  most  part, 
superfluous.  I  have  heard  that  the  family  of  the  Cuylcrs  was 
originally  a  German  one  of  high  rank.  Whether  tins  can  or 
cannot  be  ascertained,  is  of  little  consequence.  The  sterling 
worth  of  their  immediate  ancestor,  and  his  long  and  faithful  ser- 
>  ices  to  the  public,  reflect^  more  honour  on  his  descendants  Uum 
iuiy  length  of  pedigree. 

Bb 


278 


MEMOIRS  OF 


truly  called  such,  were  gone.  Nothing  could  com- 
pensate, in  her  opinion,for  the  privation  of  that  en- 
joyment ;  she  read,  but  then  the  people  about  her 
had  so  little  taste  for  reading,  that  she  had  not  her 
wonted  pleasure  in  that,  for  want  of  some  one  with 
whom  she  could  discuss  the  topics  stiggested  by 
her  studies.  It  was  in  this  poverty  of  society  such 
as  she  was  accustomed  to  enjoy,  that  she  took  a 
fancy  to  converse  much  with  me,  to  regret  my 
want  of  education,,  and  to  take  a  particular  interest 
in  my  employments  and  mental  improvement.— 
That  I  might  more  entirely  profit  by  her  attention, 
she  requested  my  parents  to  let  me  pass  the  win- 
ter with  her ;  this  invitation  they  gladly  complied 
with.  ;.  t"  v>:'jo*f.<i    "i^j^fl    i.'i?"-.    \:>iu     •  :   ; 

'  The  winter  at  the  Flats  was  sufficiently  melan- 
choly,and  rendered  less  agreeable  by  some  unpleas- 
ant neighbours  we  had.     Those  were  a  family  from 
New*£ngland,  whQ  had  been  preparing  to  occupy 
lands  near  those  occupied  by  my  father.     They  had 
been  the  summer  before  recommended  to  Aunt's 
generous  humanity,  as  honest  people,  wlw  merely 
wanted  a  shelter  in  a  room  in  her  empty  house,  till 
they  should  build  a  temporary  hut  on  those  new 
lands  which  they  were  about  to  inhabit.     When  we 
came,  the  time  permitted  to  them  had  long  elaps- 
ed, but  mf  father,  who  was  exceedingly  humane, 
indulged  them  with  a  fortnight  more  after  our  ar- 
rival, on  the  pretence  of  the  sickness  of  a  child ;  and 
there  they  sat,  and  would  not  remoyc  for  the  win- 
ter, unless  coercion  had  been  used  for  that  purpose. 
We  lived  on  the  road  side  ;  there  was  at  that  time 
a  perpetual  emigation  going  on  from  the  provinces 
of  New-England  to  our  back  settlements.     Our  ac- 
quaintance with  the  family  who  kept  possession  be- 
side us,  and  with  many  of  even  the  better  sort,  who 
came  to  bargain  with  my  father  about  his  lands, 
gc.vc  us  more  insight  than  we  wished  into  the  pre- 
vtlent  character  of  those  people,  whom  we  found 
ccnceited,  litigious,  and  selfish  beyond  measure. — 


AN  AMERICAN  LADY. 


27-9 


My  father  was  told<  that  the  only  safe  way  to  avoid 
being  over-reached'  by  them  in  a  bargain,  was  to 
give  them  a  kind  of  tacit  permission  to  sit  down  oa 
his  lands,  and  take  his  chance  of  settling  with  them 
when  they  were  brought  into  some  degree  of  cul- 
tivation ;  for  if  one  did  bargain  with  them,  the  cus- 
tom'was  to  have  it  three  years  free  for  clearing,  at 
the  end  of  which,  the  rents  or  purchase  money  was 
paid.  By  that  time,  any  person  who  had  expended 
much  labour  on  land,  would  rather  pay  a  reasona- 
ble price  or  rent  ibr  It,  than  be  removed. 

In  the  progress  of  his  intercourse  with  these  ve- 
ry  vulgar,  insolent>  and  truly  disagreeable  people, 
my  father  began  to  disrelish  the  thoughts  of  gom^ 
up  to  live  among  them.  They  flocked  indeed  so 
fast,  to  every  unoccupied  spot,  that  their  malignant 
and  envious  spirit,  their  hatred  of  subordination, 
and  their  indifference  to  the  mother  country,  begun 
to  spread  like  a  taint  of  infection. 

These  illiberal  opinions,  which  produced  man- 
ners equally  illiberal,  were  particularly  wounding 
to  disbanded  ofiicers,  and  to  the  real  patriots,  who 
had  consulted  in  former  times  the  happiness  of  the 
country,  by  giving  their  zealous  co-operation  to  the 
troops  sent  to  protect  it  These  two  classes  of  peo- 
ple begun  now  to  be  branded  as  the  slaves  of  arbi- 
trary power,  and  all  tendencies  to  elegance  or  rer 
finement  were  despised  as  leading  to  aristocracy. 
The  consequence  of  all  this  was,  such  an  opposi- 
tion of  opinions,  as  led  people  of  the  former  de- 
scription to  seek  each  other's  society  exclusively. 
Winter  was  the  only  time  that  distant  friends  me. 
there,  and  to  avoid  the  chagrin  resulting  from  this 
distempered  state  of  society,  veterans  settled  in  the 
country  were  too  apt  to  devote  themselves  to  shoot- 
ing and  fishing,  taking  refuge  from  languor  in  these 
solitary  amusements. 

We  had  one  brave  and  loyal  neighbour,  however^ 
who  saw  us  often,  and  was  **  every  inch  a  gentle- 
man ;"  this  was  Pedrom,  Aunt's  brother-in-law,  in 


280 


MEMOIRS  or 


whom  lived  the  spirit  of  the  Schuylers,  and  who 
was  our  next  ncigjfibour  and  cordial  friend.  Ho 
"was  now  old,  detached  from  the  world,  and  too  hard 
of  heariiig^,  to  be  an  easy  companion ;  yet  he  hud 
much  various  information,  and  was  endeared  to  lis 
by  similarity  of  principle.  .  •*.  >  >  • 

Matters  were  beginning  to  be  in  this  state  the 
first  winter  I  went  to  live  with  Aunt.  Her  friends 
were  much  dispersed;  all  conversation  was  tainted 
with  politics,  Cromwcllian  politics  too,  which  of  all 
things,  she  disliked.  Her  nephew,  Cortlandt 
Schuyler,  who  had  been  a  great  Nimrocl  ever  since 
he  could  carr^  a  gun,  and  who  was  a  man  of  strict 
honour  and  nice  feelings,  took  such  a  melancholy 
view  of  things,  and  so  little  relished  that  Stam{> 
Act,  which  was  the  exclusive  subject  of  all  conver- 
sation, that  he  devoted  himself  more  and  more  to 
the  chase,  and  seemed  entirely  to  i*enouncc  a  socie- 
ty which  l^e  had  never  greatly  loved.  As  I  shall 
not  refer  to  him  again,  I  shall  only  mention  here^ 
that  this  estimable  person  was  taken  away  from  the 
evil  to  come  two  years  after,  by  a  premature  death, 
being  killed  by  i  fall  from  his  horse  in  hunting.-— 
What  sorrows  were  hid  from  his  eyes  by  this  time- 
ly escape  from  scenes,  which  would  have  been  to 
him  peculiarly  wounding  I 

If  Madame's  comforts  in  society  were  diminish- 
ed, her  domestic  satisfactions  were  not  less  so.  By 
the  time  I  came  to  live  with  her,  Mariamat  and  Oi- 
anamat  were  almost  superannuated,  and  had  lost,  in 
a  great  measure,  the  restraining  power  they  used 
to  exercise  over  their  respective  offspring.  Their 
woolly  heads  were  snow  white,  and  they  were  be- 
come so  feeble,  that  they  sat  each  in  her  great  chair 
at  the  opposite  side  of  the  fire ;  their  wonted  jeal- 
ousy was  now  embittered  to  rancour,  and  their  love 
of  tobacco  greater  than  ever.  They  were  arrived 
at  that  happy  period  of  ease  and  indolence,  which 
left  them  at  full  liberty  to  smoke  and  scold  the 
whole  day  long ;  tliis  they  did  with  such  unwearied 


AN  AMERICAN   LADY. 


281 


perseverance,  and  in  a  manner  so  ludicrous,  that  to 
us  young  people  thoy  were  a  perpetual  comedy. 

Sorely  now  did  Aunt  lament  the  promiHc  nhc  had 
kept  so  faithfully,  never  to  sell  any  of  the  Colonel's 
negroes.  There  was  so  little  to  do  for  fourteen 
persons,  except  the  biisincHs  they  created  lor  each 
other,  and  it  was  so  impossible  to  keen  them  fl'o^l 
loo  freely  sharing  the  plenty  of  her  liberal  house, 
that  idleness  and  ubundunce  literally  began  to  cor- 
rupt them. 

All  these  privations  and  uneasinesses  will  in 
iiome  measure  account  for  such  a  person  as  Ma- 
dame takingsuch  pleasure  in  the  society  of  an  over- 
grown child.  But  then  she  was  glad  to  escupo 
irom  dark  prospects  and  cross  politics,  to  the 
amusement  derived  from  the  innocent  cheerfulness 
natural  to  that  time  of  life.  A  passion  for  reading, 
and  a  very  comprehensive  memory  to,  had  furnish- 
ed my  mind  with  more  variety  of  knowledge,  than 
fell  to  the  lot  of  those,  who  living  in  large  families, 
and  sharing  the  amusements  of  childhood,  were 
not,  like  me,  driven  to  that  only  resource.  Ail  this^ 
will  help  to  account  for  a  degree  of  confidence  and 
UivouT)  daily  increasing,  which  ended  in  my  i)eing 
admitted  to  sleep  in  a  little  bed  beside  her,  which 
never  happened  to  any  other.  In  the  winter  nights 
our  conversations  often  encroached  on  the  earlier 
hours  of  morning.  The  future  appeared  to  her 
dubious  and'  cheerlessj  which  was  one  reason,  f 
suppose,  that  l>er  active  mind  turned  solely  on  re- 
'trospection.  She  saw  that  1  listened  with  delight- 
ed attention  to  the  tales  of  other  times,  which  no 
one  could  recount  so  well.  These,  too,  were  doub-  • 
ly  interesting,  as,  like  the  sociable  angel's  conver- 
sation with  our  first  father,  they  related  to  the  ori- 
gin and  formation  of  all  1  saw  around  me  ;  they  af- 
forded food  for  reflection,  to  which  I  was  very  early 
addicted,  and  hourly  increased  n)y  veneration  for 
her  whom  1  already  considered  as  my  polar  star.— 
The  great  love  1  had  for  her  first  gave  interest  to 

Bb2 


2B2 


MEMOIRS  OF 


her  details ;  and  again,  the  nature  of  these  details 
increased  my  esteem  for  the  narrator.  Thus  pass- 
ed this  winter  of  felicity,  which  so  much  enlarged 
my  stock  of  ideas,  that  in  looking  back  upon  it,  I 
thought  I  had  lived  three  years  in  one. 


CHAP.  LV: 

■  ■'  -     "C.  ."  .       ■ '  '»*'".  •  ■  • 

.,/;.  Return  to  the  Flats. . 

OUMMER  came,  and  with  it  visitors,  as  usuat^ 
to  Madame  from  New-York  and  other  places ;— • 
among  whom,  I  remember,  were  her  nieces  Mrs. 
L.  and  Mrs.  C.  I  went  to  the  Flats,  and  was,  as 
usual,  kept  veiy  close  to  my  needle-work;  but 
though  there  was  no  variety  to  amuse  me,  summer 
slid  by  very  fast.  My  mind  was  continually  occu- 
pied with  Aunt,  and  all  the  passages  of  herlHe.  My 
greatest  pleasure  was  to  read  over  again  the  books  I 
had  read  to  her,  and  recollect  her  observations  up- 
on them.  I  often  got  up  and  went  out  to  the  door 
to  look  at  places  where  particular  things  had  hap- 
pened. She  spent  the  winter's  nights  in  retrospec- 
tions of  her  past  life  ;  and  I  spent  the  summer  days 
in  retrospections  of  these  winter  nights.  But  these' 
were  not  my  only  pleasures.  The  banks  of  the 
river  and  the  opposite  scenery  delighted  me ;  and,, 
adopting  all  Aunt's*  tastes  and  attachments,  I  made 
myself  believe  I  was  very  fond  of  Pedrom  and  Su- 
sanna Muet,  al)  the  widow  of  Jeremiah  was  called. 
My  attention  to  them  excited  their  kindness  ;  and 
the  borrowed  sentiment,  on  my  part,  soon  became 
a  real  one.  These  old  friends  were  very  amusing. 
But  then  I  had  numberless  young  friends,  who 
shared  my  attention,  and  were  in  their  own  way 
very  amusing  too.     These  were  the  objects  of  my 


AN  AMERICAN  LADY. 


283 


earliest  cares  in  the  mornings  and  my  needless  so- 
licitude all  day.  I  had  marked  down  in  a  list  be- 
tween thirty  and  forty  nests  of  various  kinds  of 
birds.  It  was  an  extreme  dry  summer;  and  I  saw 
the  parent  birds,  whom  I  diligently  watched,  often 
panting  with  heat,  and,  as  I  thought,  fatigued.  Af- 
ter all  I  had  heard  and  seen  of  Aunt,  I  thought  it 
Incumbent  on  me  to  be  good  and  kind  to  some  be- 
ing that  needed  my  assistance.  To  my  fellow- 
creatures  my  power  did  not  extend ;  therefore  I 
wisely  resolved  to  adapt  my  mode  of  beneficence  to 
the  sphere  of  action  assigned  to  me,  and  decided  up- 
on the  judicious  scheme  of  assisting  all  these  birds 
to  feed  their  young.  My  confederate  Marian,  (our 
negro  girl,)  entered  heartily  into  this  plan ;  and  it 
was  the  business  of  the  morning,  before  tasks  com- 
menced, to  slaughter  innumerable  insects,  and 
gather  quantities  of  cherries  and  other  fruit  for  that 
purpose.  Portions  of  this  provision  we  laid  beside 
every  nest,  and  then  applauded  ourselves  for  saving 
the  poor  birds  fatigue.  This,  from  a  pursuit,  be- 
came a  passion.  Every  spare  moment  was  devoted 
to  it,  and  every  hour  made  new  discoveries  of  the 
nature  and  habits  of  our  winged  friends,  which  we 
considered  as  amply  recompensing  our  labours. 

The  most  eager  student  of  natural  philosophy 
eould  not  be  more  attentive  to  those  objects,  or 
more  intent  on  making  discoveries.  One  sad  dis- 
covery we  made,  that  mortified  us  exceedingly. 
The  mocking-bird  is  very  scarce  and  very  shy  in 
thisvuorthern  district.  A  pair  came,  however,  to 
our  inexpressible  delight,  and  built  a  nest  in  a  very 
high  tree  in  our  garden.  Never  was  joy  like  ours. 
At  the  imminent  risk  of  our  necks  we  made  shift 
to  ascend  to  this  lofty  dwelling  during  the  absence 
of  the  owners ;  birds  we  found  none  ;  but  three 
eggs  of  a  colour  so  equivocal,  that,  deciding  the 
point  whether  they  were  green  or  blue,  furnished 
matter  of  debate  for  the  rest  of  the  day.  To  see 
these  treasures  was  delightful}  stud  to  refr^n  froxni 


I 


284 


MEMOIRS  OF 


touching^  them  impossible.  One  of  the  youngs  wft 
resolved  to  appropriate,  contrary  to  our  general 
humane  procedure  ;  and  the  next  weighty  affair  to 
be  dis:ussed,  was  the  form  and  size  of  the  cage  ^ 
which  was  to  contain  tliis  embryo  warbler.  The 
parents,  however^  arrived.  On  examining  the  pre- 
mises, by  some  mysterious  mode  of  their  own,  they 
discovered  that  their  secret  had  been  explored,  and 
that  profane  hands  had  touched  the  objects  of  all 
their  tenderness.  Their  plaintive  cries  we  too  well 
understood.  That  whole  evening  and  all  the  next 
day  they  were  busied  in  the  orchard :  while  their 
loud  lamentations,  constantly  reiterated,  pierced  us 
with  remorse.  We  soon  saw  the  garden  nest  for- 
saken ;  and  a  little  further  examination  soon  con- 
vinced us,  that  the  violated  eggs  had  been  trans- 
ported to  another,  where,  however,  they  were  not 
hatched  ;  the  delicate  instincts,  which  directed  these 
creatures  to  form  a  new  nest,  and  carry  off  their 
eggs,  on  finding  they  had  been  handled,  did  not,  at 
the  same  time,  inform  them,  that  eggs  carried 
away,  and  shaken  by  that  motion  during  the  process 
of  incubation,  cannot  produce  any  thing. 

The  great  barn,  which  I  formerly  described,  af- 
forded scope  for  our  observations  of  this  nature'; 
and  here  we  remarked  a  phenomenon,  that  I  am 
still  at  a  loss  ta  account  for.  In  the  highest  part 
of  that  spacious  and  lofty  roof,  multitudes  of  swal- 
lows, of  the  martin  species,  made  their  nests.— 
These  were  constructed  of  mud  or  clay  as  usual, 
and,  in  the  ordinary  course  of  things,  lasted,  with 
some  repairs,  from  year  to  year.  This  summer, 
however,  being  unusually  hot  and  dry,  the  nests,  in 
great  numbers,  cracked  and  fell  down  on  the  floor, 
with  the  young  ones  in  them.  We  often  found 
them  in  this  situation,  but  always  found  the  birds 
in  them  alive  and  unhurt ;  and  saw  the  old  ones 
come  to  feed  them  on  the  floor,  which  they  did 
with  such  eager  confidence,  that  they  often  brush- 
ed so  near  as  to  touch  us.    Now  wc  could  no  other 


Thi 


AN  AMERICAN  LADY. 


28S 


way  account  for  the  nests  always  coming  down 
with  the  birds  unhiirt  in  them,  but  by  supposing 
that  the  swallows  watched  the  fracture  of  the  nests> 
and  when  they  saw  them  about  to  fall,  came  round 
the  descending  fabric,  and  kept  it  in  a  kind  of 
equilibrium.  Of  these  birds  we  stood  in  such  pro- 
found awe,  that  we  never  profited  by  the  accident 
which  put  them  in  our  power ;  we  would  not  in- 
deed, for  any  consideration,  have  touched  them, 
especially  after  the  sad  adventure  of  the  mocking- 
bird, which  hung  very  heavy  upon  our  conscien- 
ces. Autumn  came,  and  Aunt  came  at  the  ap- 
pointed day,  the  anniversary  of  his  death,  to  visit 
the  tomb  of  her  beloved  consort.  This  ceremony 
always  took  place  at  that  time.  She  concluded  it 
with  a  visit  to  us,  and  an  earnest  request  for  my 
returning  with  her,  and  remaining  the  winter. 


V, 


Ka 


m 


CHAP.  LVI. 

Mekacholy  Prelates.— 'Turbulence  of  the  Peopl«. 

X  HE  conversations  between  my  father  and  aunt 
assumed  a  melancholy  cast.  Their  hopes  of  a  gol- 
den age  in  that  country  (now  that  the  flames  of  war 
were  entirely  quenched)  grew  weaker.  The  re- 
peal of  the  Stamp  Act  occasioned  excessive  joy, 
but  produced  little  gratitude.  The  youth  of  the 
town,  before  that  news  arrived,  had  abandoned  theit 
wonted  sports,  and  begun  to  amuse  themselves  with 
breaking  the  windows  and  destroyuig  the  furniture 
of  two  or  three  different  people,  who  had,  in  suc- 
cession, been  suspected  of  being  stamp-masters 
in  embryo.  My  father  grew  fonder  thun  ever  of 
fishing  and  shooting,  because  birds  and  fish  did  not 
tiilk  of  tyranny  or  taxes.    Sometimes  wc  were  re* 


I 


3S6 


MEMOIRS  OF 


fi'eshed  by  a  visit  from  some  of  Aunt's  nephcivs, 
the  sons  of  the  mayor.  They  always  left  us  in 
great  good  humour,  for  they  spoke  respectfully  of 
our  dear  King,  and  dearer  country.  But  this  sun- 
shine was  transient ;  they  were  soon  succeeded  by 
Obadiah  or  Zephaniah,  from  Hampshire  oat  Connecti- 
cut, who  came  in  without  knocking ;  sat  down  with- 
out invitation ;  and  lighted  their  t^pe  witiioutcere- 
mony;  then  talked  of  buying  land;  and,  finally, 
began  a  discourse  on  politics,  which  would  have 
done  honour  to  Praise  God  Barebones,  or  any  of 
the  members  of  his  parliament.  What  is  very  sin- 
gular, is,  that  though  the  plain-spoken  and  manly 
natives  of  our  settlement  had  a  general  dislike  to 
the  character  of  these  litigious  and  loquacious  pre- 
tenders, such  are  the  inconsistencies  into  which 
people  are  led  by  party,  that  they  insensibly  adopted 
many  of  their  notions.  With  Madame  I  was  quite 
free  from  this  plague.  None  of  that  chosen  race 
ever  entered  her  door.  She  valued  time  too  much 
to  devote  it  to  a  set  of  people  whom  she  consider- 
ed as  greatly  wanting  in  sincerity.  I  speak  now  of 
the  Hampshire  and  Connecticut  people.  In  towns 
and  at  sea-ports  the  old  leaven  had  given  way  to  that 
liberality  which  was  produced  by  a  better  educa* 
tion,  and  an  intercourse  with  strangers.  Much  as 
aunts  loyal  and  patriotic  feelings  were  hurt  by  the 
new  mode  of  talking  which  prevailed,  her  benevo- 
lence was  not  cooled,  nor  her  mode  of  living 
changed. 

I  continued  to  grow  in  favour  with  Aunt  this 
winter ;  for  the  best  possible  reasons,  I  was  the 
only  one  of  the  family  that  would  sit  still  with  her. 
The  young  people  in  the  house  were  by  no  means 
congenial  with  her ;  and  each  had  a  love  affair  in 
hand  fast  ripening  into  matrimony,  that  took  up  oil 
their  thoughts.  Mr.  H.  our  chaplain,  was  plau- 
sible, but  superficial,  vain,  and  ambitious*  He 
too  was  busied  in  hatching  a  project  of  another 
kind.    On  pretence  of  study,  he  soon  retired  to  his 


room  af 
be  in  p 
without 
ness  or 
veries  1 
the  othi 
own  pai 
der,  wl 
H.  who 
wise,  ai 
all  but  i 
I  did  ni 
some  d< 
bred  na 
more  tl 
excess  4 
memoir 
talked  i 
ral  hist< 
obliged 
on  the  g 
I  have! 
Eaisd  of 
much  p 
someho 
mired  s 
found  1 
supposi 
gedies 
grossly 
aunt  ha 
norant, 
know  n 
nature 
her.     ' 
Hamie 
Opheli 
the  mai 
beyond 
I  me 
young 


AN  AMERICAN  LADY. 


nr 


room  after  meals,  dreading  no  doubt  that  aunt  might 
be  in  possession  of  Ithuriel's  spear,  or  to  speak 
without  a  figure,  might  either  fathom  his  shallow- 
ness or  detect  his  project.     One  of  these  disco- 
veries he  knew  would  sink  him  in  her  opinion,  and 
the  other  exclude  him  from  her  house.     For  my 
own  part,  I  was  always  puzzling  myself  to  consi- 
der, why  I  did  not  more  love  and  reverence  Mr. 
H.  who  I  took  it  for  granted  must  needs  be  good, 
wise,' and  learned;  fori  thought  a  clergyman  was 
all  but  inspired.     Thus  thinking,  I  wondered  why 
I  did  not  feel  for  Mr.  H.  what  I  felt  for  aunt  in 
some  degree ;  but  unfortunately  Mr.  H.  was  a  true 
bred  native  of  Connecticut,  which  perhaps  helped 
more  than  any  intuitive  penetration  to  prevent  any 
excess  of  veneration.    Aunt  and  I  read  Burnet's 
memoirs  and  some  biography  this   winter,    and 
talked  at  least  over  much  geography  and    natu- 
ral history.     Here  indeed,  I  was  in  some  degree 
obliged    to  Mr.  H.    I  mean  for  a    few  lessons 
on  the  globe.     He  had  too  an  edition  of  Shakspeare. 
I  have  been  trying  but  in  vain  to  recollect  what  aunt 
Eaid  of  this.     Not  much  ceitainly,  but  she  was 
much  pleased  with  the  Essay  on  Man,  &c.    Yet  I 
somehow  understood  that  Shakspeare  was  an  ad- 
mired author,  and  was  not  a  little  moitified  when  I 
found  myself  unable  to  appreciate  his  merits.    I 
suppose  my  taste  had  been  vitiated  by  bombast  tra- 
gedies I  had  red  at  Colonel  E's.     I  thought  them 
grossly  familiar,  and  very  inferior  to  Cato,  whom 
aunt  had  taught  mc  to  admire ;  in  short  I  was  ig- 
norant,, and  because  I  could  read  Milton,  did  not 
know  my  own  ignorance.     I  did  not  expect  to  meet 
nature  in  a  play,  and  therefore  did  not  recognise 
her.     'Tis  not  to  be  conceived  how  I  puzzled  over 
Hamlet,  or  how  his  assumed  madness  and  abuse  of 
Ophelia  confounded  me.     Othello's  jealousy,  and 
the  manner  in  which  he  expressed  it,  were  quite 
beyond  my  comprehension. 

I  mention  these  things  as  a  warning  to  other 
young  people  net  to  admire  by  rote,  but  to  wait  the 


389 


MEMOIRS  OF 


unfolding  of  their'  own  taste,  if  they  would  derive 
real  pleasure  from  the  works  of  genius.  I  rather 
imagine  I  was  afraid  Aunt  would  think  I  devoted 
too  much  time  to  what  I  then  Cvinsidered  as  a  trifling 
book.  For  I  remember  reading  Hamlet  the  third 
or  fourth  time,  in  a  frosty  night,  by  moonlight,  in 
the  back  porch.  This  reiterated  perusal  was  not 
in  consequense  of  any  great  pleasure  it  afforded 
me  ;  but  I  was  studiously  labouring  to  discover  the 
excellence  I  thought  it  must  needs  contain ;  yet 
with  more  diligence  than  success.  Madame  was 
at  this  time  I  imagine,  foreseeing  a  storm,  and  try- 
to  withdraw  her  mind  as  much  as  possible  from 
earthly  objects. 

Forty  years  before  this  period*  a  sister  of  the 
deceased  colonel  had  married  a  very  worthy  man  of 
the  name  of  Wendell  He  being  a  person  of  an 
active  enterprising  disposition,  and  possessingmore 
portable  wealth  than  usually  fell  to  the  share  of  tlie 
natives  there,  was  induced  to  join  some  great  com- 
mercial company  near  Boston,  and  settled  there. 
He  was  highly  properous  and  much  beloved,  and 
for  awhile'cultivateda  constant  commerce  with  the 
friends  he  left  behind.  When  he  died,  however, 
his  wife,  who  was  a  meek  benevolent  woman,  with- 
out distrust,  and  a  stranger  to  business,  was  very 
ill-treated :  her  sons,  who  had  been  married  in  the 
country,  died.  Their  connexions  ser^red  the  family 
property  for  their  children.  In  the  primitive  days 
of  New-York,  a  marriage  settlement  was  an  un- 
heard of  thing.  Far  from  her  native  home,  hav- 
ing out-lived  her  friends,  helpless  and  uncomplain- 
ing, this  good  woman  who  had  lived  all  her  days  in 
the  midst  of  deserved  afAuence  and  affection,  was 
now  stripped  by  chicanery  of  all  her  rights,  and 
sinking  into  poverty  without  a  friend  or  comforter. 
Aunt,  immediately  upon  hearing  this,  set  on  foot 
a  negociation  to  get,  Mrs.  Wendell's  affairs  regu- 
lated, so  that  she  might  have  the  means  of  livnig 
with  comfort  in  a  country  in  which  long  residence 


AN  AMERICAN  LADY. 


289 


Iiad  naturalized  her ;  or  that  failing,  to  bring  her 
home  to  reside  with  herself.  Perhaps  in  the  whole 
course  of  her  life,  she  had  not  experienced  so 
much  of  the  depravity  of  human  nature  as  this  in- 
quiry unfolded  to  her.  The  negociation,  however, 
cheered  and  busied  her  at  a  time  when  she  greatly 
Deeded  some  exertion  of  mind  to  check  the  cur- 
rent of  thought  produced  by  the  rapid  and  astonish- 
ing change  of  manners  and  sentiments  around  her. 
But  in  our  province  there  were  two  classes  of  peo- 
ple who  absolutely  seemed  let  loose  by  the  daemon 
of  discord,  for  the  destruction  of  public  peace  and 
private  confidence.  One  -of  these  was  c<fmpQsed 
of  lawyers,  who  multiplied  so  fast  that  one  would 
think  they  rose  like  mushrooms  from  the  earth. 
For  many  years  one  lawyer  was  sufficient  for  the 
whole  settlement.  But  the  swarm  of  these,  which 
liad  made  so  sudden  and  portentous  an  appearance, 
had  been  encouraged  to  choose  that  profession,  be- 
cause a  wide  field  was  open  f^r  future  contention, 
merely  from  the  candour  and  simplicity  of  the  last 
generation. 

Not  in  the  least  distrusting  each  other,  nor  aware 
of  the  sudden  rise  of  the  value  of  lands,  these  pri- 
mitive colonists  got  large  grants  from  government, 
io  encourage  their  eftbrts  in  the  early  stages  of  cul- 
tivation; these  lands  being  first  purchased,  for  some 
petty  consideration,  from  tjie  Indians,  who  alone 
knew  the  land  marks  of  that  illimitable  forest. 

The  boundaries  of  suclv large  grants,  when  after- 
wards confirmed  by  government,  were  distinguish- 
ed by  the  terms  used  by  the  Indians,  who  pointed 
them  out ;  and  very  extraordinary  marks  they  were. 
For  instance,  one  that  I  recollect.  "  We  exchange 
"  with  our  brother  Cornelius  Renselacr,  for  so  many 
*^  strouds,  guns.  Sec.  the  lands  beginning  at  the 
"  beaver  creek,  going  on  northward,  to  the  great 
"  fallen  plane  tree,  where  our  tribe  slept  last  sum- 
"  mer  ;  then  eastward,  to  the  three  great  cedars  on 
"  ihe  hillock ;  then   westward,  strait  to  the  wild 

Cc 


J^ 


.       r 


29» 


MEMOIRS  OF 


"  duck  swamp ;  and  strait  on  from  the  swamp  to  the 
"  turn  in  the  beaver  creek  where  the  old  dam  was." 

Such  are  the  boundaries  seriously  described  in 
this  manner,  in  one  of  the  earliest  patents.  The 
only  mode,  then  existing,  of  fixing  those  vague  li- 
mits was  to  mark  large  trees  which  grew  at  the 
corners  of  the  property,  with  the  owner's  name 
deeply  cut,  along  with  the  date  of  the  patent.  Sec. 
after  blazing,  that  is  to  say,  cutting  deeply  into  the 
tree,  for  a  plain  space  to  hold  this  inscription. 

In  this  primitive  manner  were  all  the  estates  in 
the  province  bounded.  Towards  the  sea  this  did 
very  well,  as  the  patents,  in  a  manner,  bounded  each 
other ;  and  every  one  took  care  to  prevent  the  en- 
croachments of  his  neighbour.  But  in  the  interior 
people  took  great  stretches  of  land  here  and  there, 
where  there  were  not  patented  lands  adjoining ; 
there  being  no  continuity  of  fertile  ground  except 
on  the  banks  of  streams.  The  only  security  the 
public  had  against  these  trees  being  cut  down,  or 
others  at  a  greater  distrance  marked  in  their  stead, 
was  a  law  which  made  such  attempts  penal.  This 
was  a  very  nugatory  threat ;  it  being  impossible  to 
prove  such  an  offence.  Crimes  of  this  nature  en- 
croaching on  the  property  of  individuals,  I  believe, 
rarely  happened :  but  to  enlarge  one's  boundary, 
by  taking  in  a  little  of  King  George's  ground,  to 
use  a  provincial  phrase,  was  considered  as  no 
great  harm;  and,  besides,  many  possessed  exten- 
sive tracts  of  land  unquestioned,  merely  on  the 
strength  of  Indian  grants  unsanctioned  by  govern- 
ment. One  in  particular,  the  proudest  man  I  ever 
knew,  had  a  law -suit  with  the  King,  for  more  land 
than  would  form  a  German  principality.  Now  that 
the  inundation  of  litigious  new  settlers,  from  Mas- 
sachusetts' bounds,  had  awakened  the  spirit  of  in- 
quiry, to  call  it  no  worse,  every  day  produced  a  fresh 
law-suit,  and  all  of  the  same  nature,  about  ascer- 
taining boundaries.    In  one  instance,  where  a  gen- 


An 


AN  AMERICAN  LADY. 


291 


tleman  was  supposed  to  be  unfairly  possessed  of  a 
vast  tract  of  fine  land,  a  confederacy  of  British  oflH- 
cers,  I  must  confess,  questioned  his  right ;  apply- 
ing beforehand  for  a  grant  of  such  lands  as  they 
could  prove  the  possessor  entitled  to ;  and  contrib- 
uting among  them  a  sum  of  money  to  carry  on  thin 
great  law-suit,  which  having  been  given  against 
them  in  the  province,  they  appealed  to  the  Board  of 
Trade  and  plantations  at  home.  Here  the  uncer- 
tainty of  the  law  was  very  glorious  indeed ;  and 
hence,  from  the  gainful  prospect  opening  before 
them,  swarms  of  petulent  half-educated  young  men, 
started  one  knew  not  whence.  And  as  these  great 
law-suits  were  matter  of  general  concern,  no  one 
knowing  whose  turn  might  be  next,  all  conversa- 
tion begun  to  be  infected  with  litigious  cant ;  and 
every  thing  seemed  unstable  and  perplexed. 


GHAP.  LVII. 

Settlers  of  a  new  deseription.— Madame's  Chaplain. 

.NOTHER  class  of  people  contributed  their 
share  to  destroy  the  quiet  and  order  of  the  country. 
"While  th'C  great  army,  that  had  now  returned  to 
Britain,  had  been  stationed  in  America,  the  money 
they  spent  there,  had,  in  a  great  measure,  centred 
in  New-York,  where  many  ephemeral  adventurers 
begun  to  flourish  as  merchants,  who  lived  in  a  gay 
and  even  profuse  style,  and  affected  the  language 
and  manners  of  the  army  on  which  they  depended. 
Elated  with  sudden  prosperity,  those  people  at- 
tempted every  thing  that  could  increase  their  gains ; 
and,  finally,  at  the  commencement  of  the  Spanish 
war,  fitted  out  several  privateers,  which,  being  sent 
to  cruise  uear  the  mouth  of  the  gulph  of  Florida, 


292 


MEMOIRS  OF 


captured  several  valuable  prizes.  Money  so  easily 
got  was  is  lightly  spent,  and  provfed  indeed  ruinous 
to  those  who  shared  it ;  they  being  thus  led  to  in- 
dulge in  expensive  habits,  which  continued  after 
the  means  that  supplied  them  were  exhausted.  At 
the  departure  of  the  army,  trade  languished  among 
these  new  people ;  their  British  creditors  grew 
clamorous  ;  the  primitive  inhabitants  looked  cold 
upon  them ;  and  nothing  remained  for  them  but 
that  self-banishment,  which,  in  that  country,  was 
the  usual  consequence  of  extravagance  and  folly, 
a  retreat  to  the  woods.  Yet,  even  in  these  primae- 
val shades,  there  was  no  repose  for  the  vain  and  the 
turbulent.  It  was  truly  amusing  to  see  those  car- 
goes of  rusticated  fine  ladies  and  gentlemen  going 
to  their  new  abodes,  all  lassitude  and  chagrin ;  and 
very  soon  after,  to  hear  of  their  attempts  at  fineiy 
consequence,  and  pre-eminence,  in  the  late  invaded 
residence  of  bears  and  beuvers.  There,  no  pasto-* 
ral  tranquillity,  no  sylvan  delights  awaited  them.— 
In  this  forced  retreat  to  the  woods  they  failed  not 
to  carry  with  them  those  household  gods  whom 
they  had  worshipped  in  town ;  the  pious  ^neas 
was  not  more  careful  of  his  Penates,  nor  more  de- 
sirous of  establishing  them  in  his  new  residence. 
These  are  the  persons  of  desperate  circumstances, 
expensive  habits,  and  ambitious  views ;  who,  like 
the  "  tempest-loving  raven,"  delight  in  changes, 
and  anticipate,  with  guilty  joy,  the  overturn  of 
states  in  which  they  have  nothing  to  lose,  and  have 
hopes  of  rising  on  the  ruins  of  others.  The  law- 
yers, too,  foresaw  that  the  harvest  they  were  now 
reaping  from  the  new  mode  of  inquiry  into  disputed 
titles,  could  not  be  of  long  duration.  They  did  not 
lay  a  regular  plan  for  the  subversion  of  the  existing 
order  of  things  j  but  they  infected  the  once  plain 
and  primitive  conversation  of  the  people  with  law 
jargon,  which  spread  like  a  disease,  and  was  the 
more  fatal  t«  elegance,  simplicity,  and  candour,  as 


AN  AMERICAN  LADY. 


293- 


aa 


therjB  were  no  rival  branches  of  science,  the  cultiva- 
tion of  which  niight  have  divided  people's  attention 
with  this  dry  contentious  theme. 

The  spirit  of  litigation,  which  narrowed  and 
heated  every  mind,  was  a  great  nuisance  to  Ma- 
dame, who  took  care  not  to  be  much  troubled  with 
it  in  conversation,  because  she  discountenanced  it 
at  her  table,  where,  indeed,  no  petulent  upstarts 
were  received.  She  was,  however,  persecuted  with 
daily  references  to  her  recollections  with  regard  to 
the  traditionaiy  opinions  relative  to  boundaries, 
Sec.  While  she  sought  refuge  in  the  peaceable 
precincts  of  the  gospel,  from  the  tumultuous  con- 
tests of  the  law,  which  she  always  spoke  of  with 
dislike,  she  was  little  aware  that  a  deserter  from 
her  own  camp  was  about  to  join  the  enemy.  Mr. 
H.  our  chaplain,  became,  about  this  time,  very  re- 
served and  absent ;  law  and  politics  were  no  fa- 
vourite topics  •  in  our  household,  and  these  alone 
seemed  much  tointerestour  divine^  Many  thought 
Aunt  was  imposed  on  by  this  young  man,  and  took 
him  to  be  what  he  was  not;  but  this  was  by  n* 
means  the  case.  She  neither  thought  him  a  wit, 
a  scholar,  or  a  saint;  but  merely  a  young  man, 
who,  to  very  good  intentions  and  a  blameless  life, 
udded  the  advantages  of  abetter  education  than  fell 
to  the  lot  of  laymen  there  ;  simplicity  of  manners, 
and  some  powers  of  conversation,  with  a  little  dash 
of  the  coxcomb,  rendered  tolerable  by  great  good 
nature. 

Vanity,  however,  was  the  rock  on  which  our 
chaplain  split ;  he  found  himself,  among  the  circle 
he  frequented,  the  one-eyed  king  in  the  kingdom, 
of  the  blind;  and  thought  it  a  pity  such  talents 
should  be  lost  in  a  profession  where,  in  his  view  of 
the  subject,  bread  and  peace  were  all  that  was  to 
be  expected.  The  ftrst  intelligence  I  heard  was, 
that  Mr.  H.  on  some  pretence  or  other,  often  went  . 
to  the  neighbouring  town  of  Schenectady,  now 
rising  into  consequence,  and  there  openlv  rcnounc-. 

C  V.  7 


•v 


!j 


2y.4>. 


MEMOIB8  OF 


edbispnofesiiipn}  and  topk,  out  a,Iicei)9p  asa.prAC' 
tising  Iftwyer.     It^is  ea<Siy  to  conjecture  how  Ma- 
dame must  hav6  coi)siderQd  this  wanton  repunciar 
tipn  ofj  tlie  sprviqe  of  the  altar  fpr  a,  more  gaipful 
purjiuit,  aggnavated  by  simulation  at  lea^t ;  U)r.  this, 
seeming  open  and  artless  character  tooH  all  the  bp- 
neht  of  her  hospitality ?  and  contiaued  tobp  her  in- 
luate  tlie^  wholp  time  that  he  was  secretly  carrying^ 
on  a  plan  hp  knew,  she  would  reprobate.    She,  howr 
ever,  beh^vpd  with,  great  dignity  on  the  occasion. » 
supposing,  no,  doubt,  that  the  obligations,  she  ha<i 
conferred  upon  hijn,  dPpi'ived  her  of  a  right  to  re- 
proach or  refljQct  uppn  him.    She  was  nevpr  aftei* 
heard  to  mention  hi^name ;  and,  whpn  othPrs  di4> 
always  shifted  the  conversation,       ^e^a        r  ,:  .      !> 
All  these  revolutions  in  manners  and  ppinioa 
helped  to  endear  me  to  Aunt»  as  a  pupil;  of!  her  own 
school ;  while  my  tenacious  meinory  enabled  me  to 
entertain  her  with  the  wpalth  of  others*  minds, 
rendpred  morp  amusing  by  the  simplicity  of  my, 
childish  comments.    Hadi  I  been  capable  of  flatte- 
ry, or  rather  had  I  been  so  deficient  in  natmral  de-^ 
licacy,  as  to  say  wh^t  I  really  thought  of  this,  px.- 
ajted  character,  the  awe  with  which  I  regarded  her 
would  have  deterred  me  from  such  presumption  ; 
but  as  I  really  loved  and  honoured  her,  as  vjrtUP 
personifipd,  and  found  my  chief  happiness  in  her 
society  and   conversationj   she  could  not  but  be 
aware  of  this 'silent  adnjajtiop,.  and  she  bpcapnp  in- 
.deedmore  and  more  desirous  of  having  me  with 
her.     To  my  father,  however,  I  w,a8  now  become, 
in  some  degree,  necessary,  from  cauBcs.somewhat 
similar.     He,  too,  was  sick  of,  the   reigning  con- 
versation ;  and  being  nervous,  and  rathei«  inclined 
to  melancholy,  begun  to  see  tilings  in  the  darkest 
light,  and  made  the  most  of  a  rheumatism,  in  itself 
bad  enough,  to  have  a  pretext  for  indulging  thp; 
chagrin  ihat  preyed  upon  his  mind,  and  aypiding 
his  Connecticut  persecutors,  who  attacked  him  pv^i- 
ry  wiipre  but  in  bed.    A  fit  of  chagrin  w.as  generr 


AN  A!yHSRI.<DAK  5.ADY. 


395 


atUy-  s»iC(;5ie494  by  ijt  ftt  c^fi  hj^Wfi^-swjHnes&j  9m\  that 
by  a.  pArQxy&Bgi,  o|  4p>ii9t<lpn)  ej^altQd  to,  eothjusi»Am.;. 
dicing  vb^h.  8^1  ^QPtcUy  conc^t^oA  wqb^..  to  gi.ve< 
wA)i  tp!  tbpse  of  f»^<j^ity.v    Ibjap  molaikQboiy  a»dt 
tbu(%  devovit;  Is  fow)d  i»y  fetb/eij  k  wJbo»§  pure  stfiA 
upnigbt.  spikrU  w£^^  coprQ4e<l  with,  t^e  tFu^fca-  and; 
clii^caaery  b^  w^SiCorc^d  to  obsi^rve  in  his  new  asso^ 
ciftt»a»,  vfhh  wbonjt  hisssipgulair  probity  and^  airopH- 
oity  of  qharActer  rendered;  h jnj»  vqi^j  unfit  to.  conn 
tendv     My.  ifiEK)Ui^p»_^ctiv^.  qh&epfulvaod  conatamly:' 
Qcqupiod  \vkh,hfln  donwsstjo  nBm^t  sought  pleautrei 
no,  whqre,^  and:  found  cpnt<?nt)  eveiyj  wh*>i*Q.    I  had. 
bpgun  to  t'4»tp  th^  lUKU/*;^  oJS  im^il^tiiaJl  plQasAirest 
with  a.  yei'y  kfi€^:  rQUsh..    Winter^,  always  sev^ev e,. 
but;  thi^  year  aj^n^edi  with  teufpJd;  vigour,,  checkted) 
my  reseaix:h<es,  among  binds  ai>dj  plants^,  which  conr, 
stituted  niy  summer  delights ;  and  poetry  was. all,? 
that  remained  to  me.    Whilp  If  wa3».  **  in  some  dir. 
viner/  mooda"  Exulting  in  thps^^  sQonos.  ofi  inapim.-, 
lioU)  opened  to  mQ  by  tho!  ^*  bum^^i^ingimuse/^ 
t)ie  terrible  d^rpe  went,  forth»  that'  I  vjas  to  readt 
no  more  "  i^le  bqoks  or  pUy^*'*     Tbisidporee  W(a» 
merely  the  momentary  result  oif.  a  fit  of  aicknesSi 
^nd  dejection,  aj^di- never  met^nt^tftbp  apripusly,  en-, 
fprcedv    It  prpdfUced,  however?  the  effect  pfj  mak- 
ing me  read  so  much  divinity,  th^t  I:  fftncipd?  my- 
iielf  gPt  quite  "  beyond  the  flaming  bounds  of.  spsicp 
an^  time;"  and  thought  I,cpuld  neypr  rpliftb  light 
reading  more.     In  this:  sqlemn  mood,  my:  gt^eatest 
relaxation  was  a,  visitt  now  wd  tbpn.to  Auntfs  sister^ 
ll^fiaWflnow  eutirply  bedridden,  but*  still  posaesaing: 
great<  powers,  of  conversation,  which,  were  called, 
iprthby  the  fl,i\ttc  ring  attention,  of:  a  child  to  ono: 
whom  the  world  had  fprsakfini     I:  laved  indeed] 
play,  strictly  such,,  thoughtless,  childish. play,  and 
next  to  that,  calm. reflection  and  discussion.     The: 
world  wa,s  top  busy  ioid  too  artful  for  me  ;  I  found: 
mysftlf,  n>ost  at  home  with  those  who  had  UPt  en^- 
ter^dj  pr  those  who  had  kft  it, 

.    .  . .  ' >i; a:* ,■    4'--'   ■•■*»'■ 


296 


MEMOIRS  OF 


My  father's  illness  was  much  aggravated  by  the 
conflict  which  begun  to  arise  in  his  mind  regarding 
his  proposed  removal  to  his  lands,  which  were  al- 
ready surrounded  by  a  new  population,  consisting 
of  these  fashionable  emigrants  from  the  gay  world 
at  New-York,  whom  I  have  been  describing,  and  a 
set  of  fierce  republicans,  if  any  thing  sneaking  and 
drawling  may  be  so  called,  whom  litigious  conten- 
tion had  banished  from  their  native  province,  and 
who  seemed  let  loose,  like  Samson's  foxes,  to  car- 
ry mischief  and  conflagration  wherever  they  went. 
Among  this  motley  crew  there  was  no  regular 
place  of  worship,  nor  any  likely  prospect  that  there 
should,  for  their  religions  had  as  many  shades  of 
diflerence  as  the  leaves  in  autumn  ;  and  every  man 
of  substance  who  arrived,  was  preacher  and  ma- 
gistrate to  his  own  little  colony.  To  hear  their 
people  talk,  one  would  think  time  had  run  back  to 
the  days  of  the  levellers.  The  settlers  from  New- 
York,  however,  struggled  hard  for  superiority,  but 
th6y  were  not  equal  in  chicane  to  their  adversaries, 
whose  power  lay  in  their  cunning.  It  was  particu- 
larly hard  for  people  wha  acknowledged  no  supe- 
rior, who  had  a  thorough  knowledge  of  law  and 
scripture,  ready  to  wrest  to  every  selfish  purpose, 
it  was  particularly  hard,  I  say,  for  such  all-suflicient 
personages  to  hold  their  lands  from  such  people  as 
my  father  and  others,  of  "  King  George's  Red 
Coats,**  as  tliey  elegantly  styled  them.  But  they 
were  fertile  in  expedients.  From  the  original  es- 
tablishment of  these  provinces,  the  Connecticut 
River  had  been  accounted  the  boundary,  to  the 
cast,  of  the  province  of  New-York,  dividing  it  from 
the  adjoining  one  ;  this  division  was  specified  in 
old  patents,  and  confirmed  by  analogy.  All  at  once, 
however,  our  new  tenants  at  will  made  a  discove- 
ry, or  rather  had  a  revelation,  purporting,  that 
there  was  a  twenty  mile  line,  as  they  called  it, 
which  in  old  times  had  been  carried  thus  far  be- 
yond the  Connecticut  River,  into  the  bounds  of 


AN  AMERICAN  LADY. 


29r 


what  had  ever  been  esteemed  the  province  of  New- 
York.  It  had  become  extremely  fashionable  to  < 
question  the  limits  of  individual  property,  but  for 
so  bold  a  stroke  at  a  whole  province,  people  were  ' 
not  prepared.  The  consequence  of  establishing 
this  point  was,  that  thus  the  grants  made  by  the , 
province  of  New-York,  of  lands  not  their  own, 
could  not  be  valid;  and  thus  the  property,  which  - 
had  cost  the  owners  so  much  to  establish  and  sur- 
vey, reverted  to  the  othei  province,  and  was  no 
longer  theirs.  This  was  so  far  beyond  all  imagina- 
tion, that  though  there  appeared  not  the  smallest 
likelihood  of  its  succeeding,  as  the  plea  must  in 
the  end  bo  carried  to  Britain,  people  stood  aghast, 
and  saw  no  safety  in  living  among  those  who  were 
capable  of  making  such  daring  strides  over  all  es- 
tablished usage,  and  ready,  on  all  occasions,  ta 
confederate  where  any  advantage  was  in  view, 
though  ever  engaged  in  litigious  contentions  with 
each  other  in  their  original  home.  This  astonish- 
ing plea,  during  its  depen(lam:e,  am>rded  these 
dangerous  neighbours  a  pretext  to  continue  their 
usurped  possession  till  it  should  be  decided  to 
which  province  the  lands  really  belonged.  They 
even  carried  their  insolence  so  far,  that  when  a 
particular  friend  of  my  father's,  a  worthy,  upright 
man,  named  Munro,  who  possessed  a  large  tract 
of  land  adjoining  to  his;  when  this  good  man,  who  • 
had  established  a  settlement,  saw-mills,  &c.  came 
to  fix  some  tenants  of  his  on  his  lands,  a  body  of 
these  incendiaries  came  out,  armed,  to  oppose  ' 
them,  trusting  to  their  superior  numbers  and  the 
peaceable  disposition  of  our  friend.  Now,  the  fatal 
twenty  mile  line  ran  exactly  through  the  middle  of  my 
father's  property.  Had  not  the  revolution  followed 
so  soon,  there  was  no  doubt  of  this  cluim  being  re- 
jected in  Britain ;  but  in  the  nicun  time  it  served 
as  a  pretext  for  daily  encroucliment  a,nd  insoicnt 
bravadoes.  Much  of  my  tether's  disorder  wus  ow- 
ing to  the  great  conilici  in  his  miiiU,    To  give  up 


298 


MEMOIRS  OF 


every  prospect  of  consequence  and  affluence,  and 
return  to  Britain,  leaving  his  property  afloat  among 
these  ungovernable  people,  (to  say  no  worse  of 
them,)  was  very  hard.  Yet  to  live  among  them, 
and  by  legal  coercion  force  his  due  out  of  their 
hands,  was  no  pleasing  prospect.  His  good  angel, 
it  would  seem  in  the  sequel,  whispered  to  him  to 
return.  Though,  in  human  prudence,  it  appeared 
a  fatal  measure  to  leave  so  valuable  a  property  in 
such  hands,  he  thought,  that  he  would  stay  two  or 
three  years ;  and  then,  when  others  had  vanquish- 
ed his  antagonists,  and  driven  them  oif  the  lands, 
which  they,  in  the  mean  time,  were  busily  clearing, 
he  should  return  with  a  host  of  friends  and  kins- 
men and  form  a  chosen  society  of  his  own.  He  how- 
ever waited  to  see  what  change  for  the  better  ano- 
ther twelve  month  might  produce.  Madame,  who 
was  consulted  on  his  plans,  did  not  greatly  relish 
this ;  he,  at  length,  half  promised  to  leave  me  with 
her,  till  he  should  return  from  this  expedition. 

Returning  for  a  short  time  to  town  in  spring  I 
found  Aunt's  house  much  enlivened  by  a  very 
agreeable  viritor ;  this  was  Miss  W.  daughter  to 
the  Honourable  Mr.  W.  of  the  council.  Her  el- 
der sister  was  afterwards  Countess  of  Cassilis,  and 
she  herself  was  long  afterwards  niurried  to  the  on- 
ly native  of  the  continent,  I  believe,  who  ever  suc- 
ceeded to  the  title  of  baronet.  She  possessed  much 
beauty,  and  understanding, and  vivacity.  Her  play- 
ful humour  exhilarated  the  whole  household.  I 
regarded  her  with  admiration  and  delight ;  and  her 
fanciful  excursions  afforded  great  amusement  to 
Aunt,  and  were  like  a  gleam  of  sunshine  amidst  the 
gloom  occasioned  by  the  spirit  of  contention  which 
was  let  loose  among  all  manner  of  people. 

The  repeal  of  the  stamp  act  having  excited  new 
he  pes,  my  father  found  all  hisexpecti'tions  of  com- 
fort and  prosperity  renewed  bythistcmpcrary  calm, 
and  the  proposed  return  to  Britain  was  ilcl'crred  for 
another  year.    Aunt,  to  our  great  joy,  us  wc  scarce 


AN  AMERICAN  LADY. 


299 


hoped  she  would  again  make  so  distant  a  visit)  came 
©ut  to  the  Flats  with  her  fair  visitor,  who  was  about 
to  return  to  New-York.  This  lady,  after  going 
through  many  of  the  hardships  to  which  persecuted 
loyalists  were  afterwards  exposed,  with  her  hus- 
band,  who  lost  an  immense  property  in  the  service 
of  government,  is  now  with  her  family  settled  in 

Upper  Canada,  where  Sir  J.  J n  has   obtained 

a  large  grant  of  lands  as  a  partial  retribution  for  his 
great  losses  and  faithful  service. 

Aunt  again  requested  and  again  obtained  per- 
mission for  me  to  pass  some  time  with  her;  and 
golden  dreams  of  felicity  at  Clarendon  again  be- 
gan to  possess  my  imagination.  I  returned  how- 
ever soon  to  the  Flats,  where  my  presence  became 
more  important,  as  my  father  became  less  eager  in 
pursuit  of  held  sports. 


# 


CHAP.  LVIII. 

Mode  of  conveying  Timber  in  Bafts  do'^n  the  Rirer. 

1  BROUGHTout  some  volumes  of  Shakspeare  with 
me,  and,  remembering  the  prohibition  of  reading 
plays  promulgated  the  former  winter,  was  much  at 
a  loss  how  to  proceed.  I  thought  rightly  that  it 
was  owing  to  a  temporary  fit  of  spleen.  But  then 
I  knew  my  father  was,  like  all  military  men,  tena- 
cious of  his  authority,  and  would  possibly  continue 
it  merely  because  he  had  once  said  so.  I  recollected 
that  he  said  he  would  have  no  plays  brought  to  the 
house  ;  and  that  I  read  them  unchecked  at  Ma- 
dame's,  wJiO  was  my  model  in  all  things.  It  so 
happened  that  the  river  had  been  higher  than  usual 
that  spring,  and,  in  consequence,  exhibited  a  suc- 
cession of  very  amusing  scenes.  The  settlers  whose 


'■;  'i"^ 


^lia 


I: 
I' 


300 


MEMOIRS  OF 


increase  above  towards  Stillwater  had  been  for 
three  years  past  incredibly  great,  set  up  saw-millt, 
on  every  stream,  for  the  purpose  of  turning  to  ac- 
count the  fine  timber  which  they  cleared  in  great 
quantitiesoff  the  new  lands.  The  planks  they  drew 
in  sledgea^o  the  side  of  the  great  river ;  and  when 
the  season  arrived  that  swelled  the  stream  to  its 
greatest  height,  a  whole  neighbourhood  assembled, 
and  made  their  joint  stock  into  a  large  raft,  which 
was  floated  down  the  river  with  a  man  or  two  on  it, 
who  with  long  poles  were  always  ready  to  steer  it 
clear  of  those  islands  or  shallows  which  might  im- 
pede its  course.  There  is  something  serenely  ma- 
jestic in  the  easy  progress  of  those  large  bodies  on 
the  full  stream  of  this  copious  river.  Sometimes 
one  ^ees  a  whole  family  transported  on  this  simple 
conveyance ;  the  mother  calmly  spinning,  the  chil- 
dren sporting  about  her,  and  the  father  fishing  on 
one  end,  and  watching  its  safety  at  the  same  time. 
These  rafts  were  taken  down  to  Albany,  and  put  on 
board  vessels  there  for  conveyance  to  New-York  ; 
sometimes,  however,  it  happened  that,  as  they  pro- 
ceeded very  slowly,  dry  weather  came  on  by  the 
time  they  reached  the  Flats,  and  it  became  impossi- 
ble to  carry  them  furthier  ;  in  that  case  they  were 
deposited  in  great  triangular  piles  opposite  our 
door.  One  of  these  which  was  larger  than  ordina- 
ry, I  Bclected  for  a  reading  closet.  There  I  safely 
lodged  my  Shakspeare  ;  and  there  in  my  play  hours 
1  went  to  read  it  undisturbed,  wjth  the  advantage  of 
iVcsh  air,  a  cool  shade,  and  a  full  view  of  the  road 
on  one  side,  and  a  beautiful  river  on  the  other. 
While  I  enjoyed  undisturbed  privacy,  I  hud  the 
prohibition  full  in  my  mind,  but  thought  I  sliould 
keep  to  the  spirit  of  it  by  only  reading  the  histori- 
cal plays,  comforting  myself  that  they  were  true. 
These  I  read  over  and  overwith  pleasure  ever  new ; 
it  was  quite  in  my  way,  for  I  was  familiarly  acquaint- 
ed with  the  English  history;  now,  indeed,  I  began 
to  relish  Shakspeare,  and  to  be  astonished  at  my 


AN  AMERICAN  LADY. 


SOI 


former  blindness  to  his  beauties.  The  contention 
of  the  rival  roses  occupied  all  my  thoughts,  and 
broke  my  rest.  "  Wind-changing  Warwick"  did 
not  change  oftener  than  I,  but  at  length  my  com- 
passion for  holy  Heniy,  and  hatred  to  Richard, 
fixed  me  a  Lancastrian.  I  begun  to  wonder  how 
any  body  could  exist  without  reading  Shakspeare, 
and  at  length  resolved,  at  all  risks,  to  make  my  fa- 
ther a  sharer  in  my  new  found  felicity.  Of  the  na- 
ture of  taste  I  had  not  the  least  idea ;  so  far  other- 
wise^that  I  was  continually  revolving  benevolent 
plans  to  distribute  some  of  the  poetry  I  most  de- 
lighted in  among  the  Bezaleels  and  Habakkuks,  of 
the  twenty  mile  line.  I  thought  this  would  make 
them  happy  as  myself^  and  that  when  they  once  felt 
the  charm  of  "  musical  delight,"  the  harsh  lan- 
guage of  contention  would  cease,  and  legal  quib- 
bling give  way  before  the  spirit  of  harmony.  How 
often  did  I  repeat  Thompson's  description  of  the 
golden  age,  concluding 

**  For  music  held  the  whole  in  perfect  peace." 

At  home,  however,  I  was  in  some  degree  success- 
ful. My  father  did  begin  to  take  some  interest  in 
the  roses,  and  I  was  happy,  yet  kept  both  my  secret 
and  my  closet,  and  made  more  and  more  advances 
in  the  study  of  these  "  woodn^tes  wild."  As  you 
like  it,  and  the  Midsummer  Night's  Dream  en- 
chanted me  ;  and  I  thought  the  comfort  of  my  clo- 
set so  great,  that  I  dreaded  nothing  so  much  as  a 
Hood,  that  should  occasion  its  being  once  more  set 
in  motion.  I  was  one  day  deeply  engaged  in  com- 
passionating Othello,  sitting  on  a  plank,  added  on 
the  outside  of  the  pile  for  strengthening  it,  when 
happening  to  lift  my  eyes,  I  saw  a  long  serpent  on 
the  same  board,  at  my  elbow,  in  a  threatening  atti- 
tude, with  its  head  lifted  up.  Othello  and  I  ran  oif 
together  with  all  imaginable  speed ;  and  as  that 
particular  kind  of  snake  seldom  approaches  any 
porson)  uiileM  the  abode  of  its  young  is  invuded,  I 

Dd 


'02 


MEMOIRS  OF 


began  to  fear  I  had  been  studying  Shakspeare  in  a 
nest  of  serpents.  Our  faithful  servant  examined 
the  place  at  my  request.  Under  the  very  board  on 
^vhich  I  sat,  when  terrified  by  this  unwished  associ- 
ate, was  found  a  nest  with  seven  eggs.  After  be- 
ing most  thankful  for  my  escape,  the  next  thing 
was  to  admire  the  patience  and  good  humour  of 
the  mother  of  this  family,  who  permitted  such  a  be- 
ing as  myself  so  long  to  share  her  haunt  with  im- 
punity. Indeed,  the  rural  pleasures  of  this  coun- 
try were  always  liable  to  those  drawbacks ;  ard  this 
place  was -peculiarly  infested  with  the  familiar  gar- 
t  cr-snake,  because  the  ruins  of  the  burnt  house  af- 
forded shelter  and  safety  to  these  reptiles. 


CHAP.  LIX. 

The  swamp.— A  discovery. 

JL  HIS  adventure  made  me  cautious  of  sitting  out 
of  doors,  yet  I  daily  braved  a  danger  of  the  same 
nature,  in  the  woods  behind  the  house,  which  were 
my  favourite  haunts,  and  where  I  frequently  saw 
»nakes,  yet  was  never  pursued  or  annoyed  by  them. 
In  this  wood,  half  a  mile  from  the  house,  was  a 
swamp,  which  afforded  a  scene  so  totally  unlike  any 
thing  else,  that  a  description  of  it  may  amuse  those 
who  have  never  seen  nature  in  that  primitive  state. 
This  swamp,  then,  was  in  the  midst  of  a  pine 
wood,  and  was  surrounded  on  two  sides  by  little 
hills,  some  of  which  were  covered  with  cedar,  and 
others  with  the  silver  fir,  very  picturesque,  and 
finely  varied  with  shrubs,  and  every  gradation  of 
jrreen.  The  swump  sunk  into  a  hollow,  like  a  large 
bason,  exactly  circular;  round  half  of  it,  was  a  bor- 
der of  mapie^  the  other  half  was  edged  with  pop- 


AN  AMERICAN  LADY. 


303 


it- 


lar.  No  creature  ever  entered  this  place  in  sum- 
mer, its  extreme  softness  kept  it  sacred  from  every 
human  foot,  for  no  one  could  go,  without  the  risk  of 
being  swallowed  up ;  different  aquatic  plants  grew 
with  great  luxuriance  in  this  quagmire,  particular- 
ly bullrushes,  and  several  beautitul  species  of  the 
iris,  and  the  alder  and  willow ;  much  of  it,  how- 
ever, was  open}  and  in  different  places  the  wat&r 
seemed  to  form  stagnant  pools ;  in  many  places 
large  trees  had  fallen  of  old,  which  were  now  cov- 
ered with  moss,  and  afforded  a  home  to  numberless 
wild  animals.  In  the  midst  of  this  aquatic  retreat, 
were  two  small  islands  of  inconceivable  beauty, 
that  rose  high  above  the  rest,  like  the  Oasis  of  the 
desarts,  and  were  dry  and  safe  though  unapproach- 
able. On  one  of  these,  I  remember,  grew  three  ap- 
ple trees,  an  occurrence  not  rare  here ;  for  a  squir- 
rel, for  instance,  happens  to  drop  the  seeds  of  an 
apple  in  a  spot  at  once  sheltered  and  fertile ;  at  a 
lucky  season,  they  grow  and  bear,  though  with  less 
vigour  and  beauty  than  those  which  are  cultivated. 
That  beautiful  fruit,  the  wild  plum,  was  also  abund- 
ant on  these  little  sanctuaries,  as  they  might  be  cal- 
led, for,  conscious  of  impunity,  every  creature  that 
flies  the  pursuit  of  man,  gambolled  in  safety  here, 
and  would  allow  one  to  gaze  at  them  from  the  brink 
of  this  natural  fortress.  One  would  think  a  con- 
gress of  birds  and  animals  had  assembled  here  ;  ne- 
ver was  a  spot  more  animated  and  cheerful.  There 
was  nothing  like  it  in  the  great  forests;  creatures 
here,  aware  of  their  general  enemy,  man,  had  cho- 
sen it  as  their  last  retreat.  The  black,  the  large 
silver  grey,  the  little  striped,and  nimble  flying  squir- 
rel, were  all  at  home  here,  and  all  visible  in  a  thou- 
sand fantastic  attitudes.  Pheasants  and  woodpeck- 
ers in  countless  numbers,  displayed  their  glowini^ 
plumage,  and  the  songsters  of  the  forest,  equal- 
ly conscious  of  their  immunity,  made  the  marsh 
resound  with  their  blended  music,  while  the  fox, 
'  here  a  small  auburn  coloured  creature,  the  martin, 


SPJ" 


!^ 


304 


MEMOIRS  OF 


and  racoons  occasionally  appeared  and  vanished 
through  the  foliage.  Often,  on  pretence  of  bring- 
ing home  the  cows  in  the  morning,  (when  in  their 
own  leisurely  way  they  were  coming  themselves,) 
I  used  to  go,  accompanied  by  my  faithful  Marian, 
to  admire  this  swamp,  at  once  a  menageiie  and  avi- 
ary, and  might  truly  say  with  Burns, 

"  My  heart  rejoicM  in  nature's  joys."  .  '. 

Not  content,  however,  with  the  contemplation  of 
animated  nature,  I  begun  to  entertain  a  fancy,  which 
almost  grew  into  a  passion,  for  explaining 

"  Every  herb  that  sips  the  dew." 

The  ordinary  plants  of  that  country  differ  very 
much  from  those  most  frequent  here ;  and  this  thirst 
for  herbalizing,  for  I  must  dignify  my  humble  re- 
^searches  with  the  name  of  botanical  ones,  was  a 
pleasing  occupation.  I  made  some  progress  in  dis- 
covering the  names  and  natures  of  these  plants, 
I  mean  their  properties ;  but  unfortunately  they 
were  only  Indian  or  Dutch  names.  This  kind  of 
"knowledge,  in  that  degree,  is  easily  acquired  there, 
because  every  one  possesses  it  in  some  measure.«— 
Nothing  surprised  me  so  much,  when  I  came  to 
Britain,  as  to  see  young  people  so  incurious  about 
nature. 

The  woods  behind  our  dwelling  had  been  thinned 
to  procure  firing,  and  were  more  open  and  acces- 
sible than  such  places  generally  arc.  Walking  one 
fine  summer's  evening,  with  my  usual  attendant, 
a  little  further  into  the  wood  than  usual,  but  far 
from  any  known  inhabitant,  I  heard  peals  of  laugh- 
ter, not  joyous  only,  but  triumphant,  issue  from  the 
bottom,  as  it  seemed,  of  a  large  pine.  Silence  suc- 
ceeded, and  we  looked  at  each  other  with  a  mix- 
ture of  fear  and  wonder,  for  it  grew  darkish.  At 
last  we  made  a  whispered  agreement  to  glide  near- 
er among  the  bushes,  and  explore  the  source  of  all 
this  merriment.     Twilight,  solemn  every  where. 


AN  AMERICAN  LADY. 


305 


is  awful  in  these  forests ;  our  awe  was  preso  tly  in- 
creased by  the  appearance  of  a  light,  that  glimmer- 
ed and  disappeared  by  turns.  Loud  laughter  was 
again  reiterated,  and  at  length  a  voice  cried,  "  How 
pretty  he  is!"  while  another  answered  in  softer 
accents,  "  See  how  the  dear  creature  runs  l"  We 
crept  on,  cheered  by  these  sounds,  and  saw  a  hand- 
some good  natured  looking  man,  in  a  ragged  pro- 
vincial uniform,  sitting  on  a  stump  of  a  tree- 
Opposite,  on  the  ground,  sat  a  pretty  little  brunette 
woman,  neatly,  though  meanly  clad,  with  sparkling 
black  eyes,  and  a  countenance  all  vivacity  and  de- 
light. A  very  little,  very  fair  boy,  with  his  moth- 
er's brilliant  black  eyes  contrasting  his  flaxen  hair 
and  soft  infantine  complexion,  went  with  tottering 
steps,  that  showed  this  was  his  first  essay,  from  one 
to  the  other,  and  loud  laughter  gratulated  his 
safe  arrival  in  the  arms  of  either  parent.  We 
had  now  pretty  clearly  ascertained  the  family, 
the  next  thing  was  to  discover  the  house  ;  this 
point  was  more  difficult  to  establish ;  at  last,  wc 
found  it  was  barely  a  place  to  sleep  in,  partly  exca- 
vated from  the  ground,  and  partly  covered  with  a 
slight  roof  of  bark  and  branches :  never  was  pover- 
ty so  complete  or  so  cheerful.  In  that  country,. 
every  white  person  had  inferiors,  and  therefiore 
being  merely  white,  claimed  a  degree  of  re- 
spect, and  being  very  rich,  or  very  fine,  entitled 
you  to  very  little  more.  Simplicity  would  be  a 
charming  thing,  if  one  could  strain  it  from  gros&- 
ness,  but  that,  I  believe,  is  no  easy  operation.  We 
now,  with  much  consideration  and  civility,  present- 
ed oursel'  r  -  -,  I  thought  the  cows  would  afford  a 
happy  opening  for  conversation.  "  Don'l  be  afraid 
of  noise,  wc  are  driving  our  three  cows  home ; 
have  you  any  cows  ?"  "  Och  no,  my  dare  child,  not' 
one,  young  Miss,"  said  the  soldier^  ♦*  O,  but  then 
mamma  will  give  milk  to  the  child,  for  we  have 
plenty  and  no  child."     "  O  dear  pretty  iniss,  don't 

•  ,>•'....  V  '»>;.        D    d  2 


•■V  ~J     .        1 


>06 


MEMOIRS  or 


V.  i 


0 


mind  that  at  all,  at  all."  "  Come,"  said  the  mistress 
of  the  hovel,  "  we  have  got  fine  butter-milk  here. 
from  Stephen's,  come  in  and  take  a  drink."  I  ci- 
villy  declined  this  invitation,  being  wholly  intent 
on  the  child,  who  appeared  to  me  like  a  smiling 
love,  and  at  once  seized  on  my  affection.  Patrick 
Coonie,  for  such  was  the  name  of  our  new  neigh- 
bour, gave  us  his  history  in  a  very  few  words  ;  he 
had  married  Kate  in  Pennsylvania,  who,  young  as 
she  looked,  had  three  children,  from  ten  to  four- 
teen, or  thereabouts ;  he  had  some  trade  which  had 
not  thriven,  he  listed  in  the  provincials,  spent  what 
he  had  on  his  family  ;  hired  again,  served  another 
campaign,  came  down  pcnnyless,  and  here  they  had 
come  for  a  temporary  shelter,  to  get  work  among 
their  neighbours;  the  excavation  existed  before, 
Patrick  happily  discovered  it,  and  added  the  inge- 
nious roof  which  now  covered  it.  I  asked  for  their 
other  children ;  they  were  in  some  mean  service. 
I  was  all  anxiety  for  Patrick  :  so  was  not  he ;  the 
lilies,  of  the  field  did  not  look  gayer,  or  more 
thoughtless  of  to-morrow,  and  Kate  seemed  equally 
unconcerned. 

-  Hastily  were  the  cows  driven  home  that  night, 
and  to  prevent  reproaches  for  delay,  I  flew  to  com- 
municate my  discovery.  Eager  to  say  how  ill  off 
we  often  were  for  an  occasional  hand,  to  assist  with 
our  jobs,  and  how  well  we  could  spare  a  certain 
neglected  log-house  on  our  premises,  &c.  This 
was  treated  as  very  chimerical  at  first,  but  when 
Patrick's  family  had  undergone  a  survey,  and  Kate's 
accomplishments  of  spinning,  &.c,  were  taken  into 
consideration, to  my  unspeakable  joy,  thefamily  were 
accommodated  as  1  wished,  and  their  several  talents 
made  known  to  our  neighbours,  who  kept  them  in 
constant  business.  Kate  spun  and  sung  like  a  lark, 
little  Paddy  was  mostly  with  us,  for  I  taught  every 
one  in  the  house  to  be  fond  of  him. 

I  was  at  the  utmost  loss  for  something  to  cherish 
.and  caress,  when  this  most  amusing  creature,  who 


AN  AMERICAN  LADY. 


,  3or 


inherited  all  the  gaity  and  good  temper  of  his  pa- 
rents, came  in  my  way,  as  the  first  of  possible  play- 
things. Patrick  was,  of  all  beings,  the  most  handy 
and  obliging ;  he  could  do  every  thing,  but  then  he 
could  drink  too,  and  the  extrenne  cheapness  of  li- 
quor was  a  great  snare  to  poor  creatures  addicted 
to  it ;  Patrick,  however,  had  long  lucid  intervals, 
and  I  had  the  joy  of  seeing  them  comparatively 
happy.  To  this  was  added,  that  of  seeing  my  fa- 
ther recover  his  spirits,  and  renew  his  usual  sports, 
and  moreover,  I  was  permitted  to  return  to  aunt 
Schuyler's.  I  did  not  fail  to  entertain  her  with  the 
history  of  my  discovery,  and  its  consequences,  and 
my  tale  was  not  told  in  vain.  Aunt  weighed  and 
balanced  all  things  in  her  mind,  and  dcew  some 
good  out  of  every  thing. 

White  servants,  whom  very  few  people  had,  were 
very  expensive  here  ;.  but  there  was  a  mode  of  me- 
liorating things.  Poor  people  who  came  adventu- 
rers from  other  countries,  and  found  a  settlement 
a  slower  process  than  they  were  aware  of,  had  got 
into  a  mode  of  apprenticing  their  children.  No  risk 
attended  this  in  Albany ;  custom  is  all-powerful  j 
and  lenity  to  servants  was  so  much  the  custom,  that 
to  ill-use  a  defenceless  creature  in  your  power  was 
reckoned  infamous,  and  was  indeed  unheard  of.— - 
Aunt  recommended  the  young  Coonies,  who  were 
fine  well-looking  children,  for  apprentices  to  some 
of  the  best  families  in  town,  where  they  were  well 
bred  and  well  treated,  and  we  all  contributed  decent 
clothing  for  them  to  go  home  in.  I  deeply  felt  this 
obligation,  and  little  thought  how  soon  I  was  to  be 
deprived  of  all  the  happiness  1  owed  to  the  friend- 
ship of  my  dear  benefactress.  This  accession  oc- 
cupied and  pleased  me  exceedingly ;  my  attach- 
ment to  the  little  boy  grew  hourly,  and  I  indulged 
it  to  a  degree  I  certainly  would  not  have  done,  if  I 
had  not  set  him  down  for  one  of  the  future  inhabitants 
of  Clarendon ;  that  region  of  fancied  felicity,  where 
I  was  building  log-houses  in  the  air  perpetually,  and 


s 


'5f 

■1* 


:t^  f* 


308 


MEMOIRS  OF 


<'\ 


filling  them  with  an  imaginary  population,  innocent 
and 'intelligent  beyond  comparison.  These  visions, 
however,  were  soon  destined  to  give  way  to  sad  re- 
alities. The  greatest  immediate  tribulation  I  was 
liable  to,  was  Patrick's  coming  home  now  and  then 
gay  beyond  his  wonted  gaiety ;  which  grieved  me 
both  on  Kate's  account  and  that  of 'little  Paddy: 
but  in  the  fertile  plains  of  Clarendon,  remedies 
were  to  be  found  for  every  passing  evil ;  and  I  had 
not  the  least  doubt  of  having  influence  enough  to 
prevent  the  admission  of  spirituous  liquors  into 
that  "  region  of  calm  delights."  Su(ili  were  the 
dreams  from  which  I  was  awakened  (on  returning 
from  a  long  visit  to  Aunt)  by  my  father's  avowing 
his  iixed  intention  to  return  home. 

A  very  worthy  Argyleshire  friend  of  his,  in  the 
mean  time,  came  and  paid  him  a  visit  of  a  month ; 
which  month  was  occupied  in  the  ipost  endearing 
recollections  of  Lochawside,  and  the  hills  of  Mor> 
ven.  When  I  returned,  I  heard  of  nothing  but  the 
Alpine  scenes  of  Scotland,  of  which  I  had  not  the 
smallest  recollection ;  but  which  I  loved  with  bor- 
rowed enthusiasm :  so  well  that  they  at  times  ba- 
lanced with  Clarendon.  My  next  source  of  com- 
fort was,  that  I  was  to  return  to  the  land  of  light 
and  fi'eedom,  and  mingle,  as  I  flattered  myself  I 
should,  with  such  as  those  whom  I  had  admired  in 
their  immortal  works.  Determined  to  be  happy,  with 
the  sanguine  eagerness  of  youth,  the  very  opposite 
materials  served  for  constructing  another  ideal  £3a- 
brie. 


,  ,•;..,  I 


'i.f 


,  J    .  t'li    [.•;;.  :.''i  .1*1 


1 ,  V-. 


)    •'v'V.' 


'..  .  •■      »tl  .*i,   *■ 

'    \    • 


■  t '      ;    f ' .'  i 


AN  AMERICAT^  LADY. 


•8(» 


t ' 


U"' 


CHAP.  I.X. 


Mrs.  Sclwjler'f  View  of  the  ContiiientBl  Polities. 

.UNT  was  extremely  sorry  when  the  final  de- 
tennination  was  announced.  She  had  now  her 
^  good  sister-in-law,  Mrs.  Wendell,  with  her,  and 
seenxed  much  to  enjoy  the  society  of  that  meek 
pious  won  .an,  who  was  as  happy  as  any  thing  earth- 
ly could  rn&ke  her.  As  to  public  affairs  their  as- 
pect did  not  please  her  ;  and  tlverefore  she  endea- 
voured, as  far  as  possible,  to  withdraw  her  atten- 
tion from  them.  She  was  too  wel^  acquainted  with 
the  complicated  nature  of  human  affairs,  to  give  a 
rash '  judgment  on  tlie  poiidcal  disputes  then  in 
agitation.  She  saw  indeed  reason  for  apprehen- 
tiion  whatever  way  she  turned.  She  knew  the  pre- 
judices and  self-opinion  fast  spreading  through  the 
countiy  too  well,  to  expect  qtiiet  submission,  and 
could  see  nothing  on  all  hands  but  a  choice  of  evils. 
Were  the  provinces  to  set  up  for  themselves,  she 
thought  they  had  not  cohesion  nor  subordination 
enough  among  them  to  fomti,  or  to  submit  to  any 
salutary  plan  of  government.  On  the  other  hand 
she  saw  no  good  effect  likely  to  result  froin  a  re- 
luctant dependence  on  a  distant  people,  whom  they 
already  began  to  haie,  though  hitherto  nursed  and 
protected  by  them.  She  clearly  foresaw  that  no 
mode  of  taxation  could  be  invented  to  which  they 
would  easily  submit ;  and  that  the  defence  of  the 
continent  from  enemies,  and  keeping  the  necessa- 
ry military  force  to  protect  the  weak  and  awe  the 
turbulent,  would  be  a  perpetual  drain  of  men  and 
money  to  Great  Britain,  stiil  increasing  with  the 
increased  population.  In  short,  she  held  all  the 
specious  plans  that  were  talked  over  very  cheap  j 
while  her  affection  for  Britain  made  her  shudder  at 
the  most  distant  idea  of  a  separation  j  yet  not  as 


'I' 


!'^m;!!: 


■ji: 


i 


310 


MEMOIRS  OF 


V  « 


supposing  such  a  step  very  hurtful  to  this  country, 
which  would  be  thus  freed  of  a  very  costly  incum- 
brance. But  the  dread  of  future  anarch v^  the  hor- 
rors of  civil  war,  and  the  dereliction  of  principle 
which  generally  results  from  tumultuary  conflicts, 
were  the  spectres  with  which  she  was  haunted. 

Having  now  once  for  all  given  (to  the  best  of  my 
recollection)  a  faithful  sketch  of  Aunt*s  opinions 
en  this  intricate  subject,  I  shall  not  recur  to  them, 
nor  by  any  means  attempt  to  enter  into  any  detail 
of  the  dark  days  that  were  approaching.  First,  be- 
cause I  fee]  unspeakable  pain  in  looking  back  upon 
occurrences  that  I  know  too  well,  though  I  was 
not  there  to  witness ;  in  which  the  friends  of  my 
early  youth  were  greatly  involved,  and  had  much 
indeed  to  endure,  on  both  sides.  Next,  because 
there  is  little  satisfaction  in  narrating  transactions 
where  there  is  no  room  to  praise  either  side.  That 
waste  of  personal  courage  and  British  blood  and 
treasure,  which  were  squandered  to  no  purpose  on 
one  side  in  that  ill-conducted  war,  and  the  insolence 
and  cruelty  which  tarnished  the  triumph  of  the 
other,  form  no  pleasing  subject  of  retrospection : 
while  the  unsuccessful  and  often  unrewarded  loy- 
alty of  the  sufferers  for  government,  cannot  be  re- 
collected without  the  most  wounding  regret.  The 
years  of  Madame,  after  I  parted  with  her,  were 
involved  in  a  cloud  raised  by  the  conflicts  of  con- 
tending arms,  which  I  vainly  endeavoured  to  pene- 
trate. My  account  of  her  must  therefore,  in  a  great 
measure,  terminate  with  this  sad  year.  My  father 
taking  in  spring  decided  measures  for  leaving  Ame- 
rica, intrusted  his  lands  to  the  care  of  his  friend 
John  Munro,  Esq.  then  residing  near  Clarendon, 
and  chief  magistrate  of  that  newly  peopled  dis- 
trict ;  a  very  worthy  friend  and  countryman  of  his 
own,  who  was  then  in  high  triumph  on  account  of 
a  fancied  conquest  over  the  supporters  of  the  twen- 
ty mile  line  ;  and  thought,  when  that  point  was  ful- 
ly established,  there  would  be  no  further  obstruc- 


AN  AMERICAN  LADY. 


311 


tion  to  their  realizing  their  property  t'  great  ad- 
vantage, or  colonizing  it  from  Scotland,  if  such 
should  be  their  wish.  Aunt  leaned  hard  to  the 
latter  expedient,  but  my  father  could  not  think  of 
leaving  me  behind  to  await  the  chance  of  his  re- 
turn ;  and  I  had  been  talked  into  a  wish  for  revisit- 
ing the  land  of  my  nativity. 

I  left  my  domestic  favourites  with  great  pain, 
but  took  care  to  introduce  them  to  Aunt,  and  im- 
plored her,  with  all  the  pathos  I  was  mistress  of, 
to  take  an  interest  in  them  when  I  was  gone ;  which 
she  very  good  naturedly  promised  to  do.  Another 
very  kind  thing  she  did.  Once  a  year  she  spent  a 
day  or  two  at  General  Schuyler's,  I  call  him  by  his 
later  acquired  title,  to  distinguish  him  from  the 
number  of  his  namesakes  I  have  had  occasion  to 
mention.  She  now  so  timed  her  visit  (though  in 
dreadful  weather)  that  I  might  accompany  her,  and 
take  my  last  farewell  of  my  young  companions 
there :  yet  I  could  not  bring  myself  to  think  it  a 
final  one.  The  terrible  words,  no  more^  never  pas- 
sed ihy  lips.  I  had  too  buoyant  a  spirit  to  encoun- 
ter a  voluntary  heart-ache  by  looking  on  the  dark 
side  of  any  thing,  and  always  figured  myself  re- 
turning,  and  joyfully  received  by  the  friends  with 
%yhom  I  was  parting. 


,»K 


,ii!:,t: 


CHAP.  LXI. 


Descriptiou  of  the  Breaking  up  of  the  Ice  on  Hudson's  River. 

OOON  after  this  I  witnessed,  for  the  last  timej 
the  sublime  spectacle  of  the  ice  breaking  up  on  the 
river ;  an  object  that  fills  and  elevates  the  mind 
with  ideas  of  power,  and  grandeur,  and,  indeed, 
magnificence  \  before  which  all  the  triumphs  ot  hu- 


I 


m 


312 


MEMOIRS  CF 


mail  art  sink  into  contemptuous  insignificance. 
This  noble  object  of  animated  greatness,  for  such 
it  seemed,  I  never  missed:  its  approach  being  an- 
nounced, like  a  loud  and  long  peal  of  thunder,  the 
whole  population  of  Albany  were  down  at  the  river 
side  JD  a  moment;  and  if  it  happened,  as  was  often 
the  case,  in  the  morning,  there  could  not  be  a  more 
grotesque  assemblage.  No  one  who  had  a  night- 
cap on  waited  to  put  it  off;  as  for  waiting  for  one's 
cloak,  or  gloves,  it  was  a  thing  out  of  the  question ; 
you  caught  the  thing  next  you,  that  could  wrap 
round  you,  and  run.  In  the  way  you  saw  every  door 
left  open,  and  pails,  baskets,  &c.  without  number, 
set  down  in  the  street.  It  was  a  perfect  saturnalia. 
People  never  dreamt  of  being  obeyed  by  their 
slaves,  till  the  ice  was  past.  The  houses  were  left 
quite  empty:  the  meanest  slave,  the  youngest 
child,  all  were  to  be  found  on  the  shore.  Such  as 
could  walk,  ran  ;  and  they  that  coiUd  not,  were  car- 
ried by  those  whose  duty  it  would  have  been  to  stay 
and  attend  them.  When  arrived  at  the  show  place, 
unlike  the  audience  collected  to  witness  any  spec- 
tacle of  human  invention,  the  multitude  with  their 
eyes  all  bent  one  way,  stood  immovable,  and  silent 
as  death,  till  the  tumult  ceased,  and  the  mighty  com- 
motion was  passed  by  ;  then  every  one  tried  to  give 
vent  to  the  vast  conceptions  with  which  his  mind 
had  been  distended.  Every  child,  and  every  ne- 
gro, was  sure  to  say,  "  Is  not  this  like  the  day  of 
judgment  ?**  and  what  they  said  every  one  else 
thought.  Now  to  describe  this  is  impossible  ;  but 
I  mean  to  account,  in  some  degree,  for  it.  The 
ice,  which  had  been  all  winter  very  thick,  instead 
of  diminishing,  as  might  be  expected  in  spring, 
still  increased,  as  the  sun-shine  came,  and  the  days 
lengthened.  Much  snow  fell  in  February  :  which, 
melted  by  the  heat  of  the  sun,  was  stagnant,  for  a 
day,  on  the  surface  of  the  ice;  and  then  by  the 
night  frosts,  which  were  still  severe,  was  addedi 
as  a  new  accession  to  the  thickneM  ul  it,  above  the 


AN  AMERICAN  LADV 


..^  1 J 


former  surface.  This  was  so  often  repeated,  that 
in  some  years  the  ice  gained  two  feet  in  thickness, 
after  the  heat  of  the  sun  became  such,  as  one  would 
have  expected  should  have  entirely  dissolved  it. 
So  conscious  were  the  natives  of  the  safety  this  ac- 
cumulation of  ice  afforded,  that  the  sledges  con- 
tinued to  drive  on  the  ioc,  when  the  trees  were 
budding,  and  every  thing  looked  like  spring;  nay, 
when  there  was  so  much  melted  on  the  surface  that 
the  horses  were  knee  deep  in  water,  while  travel- 
ling on  it ;  and  portentous  cracks,  on  every  side, 
announced  the  approaching  rupture.  This  could 
scarce  have  been  produced  by  the  mere  influence 
of  the  sun,  till  midsummer.  It  was  the  swelling 
of  the  waters  under  the  ice,  increased  by  rivulets, 
enlarged  by  melted  snows,  that  produced  this  ca- 
tastrophe ;  for  such  the  awful  concussion  made  it 
appear.  The  prelude  to  the  general  bursting  of 
this  mighty  mass,  was  a  fracture,  lengthways,  in 
the  middle  of  the  stream,  produced  by  the  eftbrt 
of  the  imprisoned  waters,  now  increased  too  much 
to  be  contained  within  their  wonted  bounds.  Con- 
ceive a  solid  mass,  from  six  to  eight  feet  thick, 
bursting  for  many  miles  in  one  continued  rupture, 
produced  by  a  force  inconceivably  great,  and,  in  u 
manner,  inexpressibly  sudden.  Thunder  is  no 
adequate  image  of  this  awful  explosion,  which 
roused  all  the  alecpcrs,  within  reach  of  the  sound, 
as  completely  as  tlie  final  convulsion  of  nature,  and 
the  s'.lenin  peal  of  the  awakening  trumpet,  might 
be  supposed  to  do.  The  stream  in  summer  was 
confined  by  a  pcblily  strand,  overhung  with  high 
and  steep  banks,  crowned  with  lofty  trees,  which 
were  considered  as  a  sacred  barrier  against  the 
encroachments  of  this  annual  visitation.  Never 
dryads  dwelt  in  more  security  than  those  of  the 
vine  clad  elms,  that  extended  their  ample  brancheiii 
over  this  mighty  stream.  Their  tan^iled  nets  laid 
bare  by  the  impetuous  torrents,  formed  <  averns 
ever  fresh  and  Iragrant;  where  the  most  delicate 

Ec 


\mi 


ri, 


oU. 


MEMOIRS  Ql- 


plants  flourished,  unvisited  by  scorching  suns,  of 
snipping  blasts  ;  and  nothing  could  be  more  singu- 
lar tlian  the  vaiiety  of  plants  and  birds  that  were 
sheltered   in  these  intricate   safe   recesses.     But 
when  the  bursting  of  the  crystal  surface  set  loose 
the  many  waters  that  had  rushed  down,  swollen 
with  the  annual  tribute  of  dissolving  snow,  the  islands 
and  low  lands  were  all  flooded  in  an  instant ;  and 
the  lofty  banks,  from  which  you  were  wont  to  over- 
look the  stream,  were  now  entirely  filled  by  an  im- 
petuous torrent,  bearing  down,  with  incredible  and 
tumultuous  rage,  immense  shoals  of  ice ;  which, 
breaking  every  instant  by  the  concussion  of  others, 
jammed  together  in  some  places,  in  others  erect- 
ing themselves  in  gigantic  heights  for  an  instant 
in  the  air,  and  seemed  to  combat  with  their  fellow 
giants  crowding  on  in  all  directions,  and  falling  to- 
gether with  an  inconceivable  crash,  formed  a  ter- 
rible moving  picture,  animated  and  various  beyond 
conception ;  for  it  was  not  only  the  cerulean  ice, 
whose  broken  edges  combating  with  the   stream, 
refracted  lightinto  a  thousand  rainbows,  that  charm- 
ed your  attention,  lofty  pines,  large  pieces  of  the 
bank  torn  oflf  by  the  ice  with  all  their  early  green 
and  tender  foliage,  were  drove  on  like  travelling 
islands,  amid  this  battle  of  breakers,  for  such  it 
seemed.     I  am  absurdly  attemptiiif^  to  paint  a  scene, 
under  which  the  powers  of  language  sink.     Suffice 
it,  that  this  year  its  solemnity  was  increased  by  an 
unusual  quantity  of  snow,  which  the  last  har'.^  win- 
ter had  accumulated,  and  the  dissolution  of  which 
now  threatened  an  inundation. 

Solemn  indeed  it  was  to  me,  as  the  memento  of 
my  approaching  journey,  which  was  to  take  place 
vhencver  the  ice  broke,  which  is  here  a  kind  of 
epoch.  The  parting  with  all  that  1  loved  at  the 
Flats  was  such  an  ailliction,  as  it  is  even  yet  a  re- 
newal of  sorrows  to  recollect.  I  loved  the  very 
barn  and  the  swamp  I  have  described  so  much  that 
I  could  not  sec  thein  for  the  last  time  without  a 


AN  AMERICAN  LADY. 


pang.  As  for  the  island  and  the  bank  of  the  river, 
I  know  not  how  I  should  have  parted  with  them,  u 
I  had  thought  the  parting  final;  the  good  kind 
neighbours,  and  my  faithful  and  most  affectionate 
Marian,  to  whom  of  all  others  this  separation  was 
most  wounding,  grieved  me  not  a  little.  I  was 
always  sanguine  in  the  extreme,  and  would  hope 
against  hope  ;  but  Marian,  who  was  older,  and  had 
more  common  sense,  L'.new  too  well  how  little  like- 
lihood there  was  of  my  ever  returning.*  Often  with 
streaming  eyes  and  bursting  sobs  she  begged  to 
know  if  the  soul  of  a  person  dying  in  America  could 
find  its  way  over  the  vast  ocean  to  join  that  of  those 
who  rose  to  the  abodes  of  future  bliss  from  Europe  : 
her  hope  of  a  reunion  being  now  entirely  referred 
to  that  in  a  better  world.  There  was  no  truth  I 
found  it  so  difficult  to  impress  upon  her  mind  as 
the  possibility  of  spirits  being  instantaneously 
transported  from  one  distant  place  to  another ;  u 
doctnne  which  seemed  to  her  very  comfortable. 
Her  agony  at  the  final  parting  I  do  not  like  to  laink 
of.  When  I  used  to  obtain  permission  to  pass  a 
little  time  in  town,  I  was  transported  with  the 
thoughts  of  the  enjoyments  that  awaited  mc  in  the 
society  of  my  patroness,  and  the  young  friends  I 
most  loved. 


CHAP.  Lxn. 

Departare  from  Albany.— Origin  of  the  State  of  Vermont 

xjlFTER  quitting  the  Flats  we  were  to  stay  for 
Home  days  at  Madame's,  till  we  should  make  a  cir- 
cular visit,  and  take  leave.  Having  lulled  my  dis- 
appointment with  regard  to  Clarendon,  and  filled 
all  my  dreams   with  images  of  Clydesdale    and 


316 


MJEMOIRS  OF 


Tweedale,  and  every  other  vale  or  dale  that  were 
the  haunts  of  the  pastoral  muse  in  Scotland^  I  grew 
pretty  well  reconciled  to  my  approaching  journey ; 
thinking  I  should  meet  piety  and  literature  in  eve- 
ry cottage,  and  poetry  and  music  in  every  recess, 
among  the  sublime  scenery  of  my  native  mountains. 
At  any  rate,  I  was  sure  I  should  hear  the  larks  sing, 
and  see  the  early  primrose  deck  the  woods,  and  dai- 
sies enamel  the  meadows.  On  all  which  privileges 
I  had  been  taught  to  set  the  due  value,  yet  I  won- 
dered very  much  how  it  was  that  I  could  enjoy 
nothing  with  such  gay  visions  opening  before  me ; 
my  heart,  I  supposed,  was  honester  than  my  ima- 
gination, for  it  refused  to  take  pleasure  in  any 
thing ;  which  was  a  state  of  mind  so  new  to  me 
that  I  could  not  understand  it.  Every  where  I  was 
raressed,  and  none  of  these  caresses  gave  me  plea- 
sure ;  at  length  the  sad  day  came  that  I  was  to  take 
the  last  farcwel  of  my  first  best  friend,  who  had  of* 
ten  in  vain  urged  my  parents  to  leave  me  till  they 
should  decide  whether  to  stay  or  return.  About 
this  they  did  not  hesitate  ;  nor,  though  they  had, 
could  I  have  divested  myself  of  the  desire  now 
*«vakcd  in  my  mind,  of  seeing  once  more  my  native 
land,  which  I  raerely  loved  upon  trust,  not  having 
the  faintest  recollection  of  it. 

Madame  embraced  me  tenderly  with  many  tears, 
fat  parting  ;  and  I  felt  a  kind  of  prelusive  anguish, 
us  if  I  had  anticipated  the  sorrows  that  awaited  ;  I 
flo  not  mean  now  the  painful  vicissitudes  of  after 
life,  but  merely  the  cruel  disappointment  that  I  felt 
h\  hnding  the  scenery  and  its  inhabitants  so  differ- 
ent from  the  Elysian  vales  and  Arcadian  swains, 
that  I  had  imagined. 

When  wc  came  away,  by  an  odd  coincidence, 
Aunt's  nephew  Peter  was  just  about  to  be  married 
10  a  very  fine  young  creature,  whom  his  relations 
«lid  not,  for  some  reason  that  I  do  not  remember, 
think  suitable  ;  wijile,  at  the  very  same  time,  her 
niece.  Miss  W.  hwl  captivated  the  son  of  a  rich  but 


AN  AMERICAN   LADY. 


317 


araricious  mati,  who  would  not  consent  to  his  mar- 
rying her,  unless  Aunt  gave  a  fortune  with  her ; 
which  being  an  unusual  demand,  she  did  not  choose 
to  comply  with.  I  was  the  proud  and  happy  confi- 
dant, of  both  these  lovers ;  and  before  we  left 
New-York  we  heard  that  each  had  married  with- 
out waiting  for  the  withheld  consent.  And  thus 
for  once  Madame  was  left  without  a  firotegSe^  but 
still  she  had  her  sister  W.  and  soon  acquired  a  new 
set  of  children,  the  orphan  sons  of  her  nephew 
Cortlandt  Schuyler,  who  continued  under  her  care 
for  the  remainder  of  her  life.  i;  • 

My  voyage  down  the  river,  which  was  by  contra- 
ry winds  protracted  to  a  whole  week,  would  have 
been  very  pleasant,  could  any  thing  have  pleased 
me.  I  was  at  least  soothed  by  the  extreme  beauty 
of  many  scenes  on  the  banks  of  this  fine  stream, 
which  I  was  fated  never  more  to  behold. 

Nothing  could  exceed  the  soft  grateful  verdure 
that  met  the  eye  on  every  side  as  we  approached 
New-York :  it  was  in  the  beginning  of  May,  the 
great  orchards  which  rose  on  every  slope  were  all 
in  bloom,  and  the  woods  of  poplar  beyond  them  had 
their  sprouting  foliage  tinged  with  a  lighter  shade 
of  the  freshest  green.  Staten  Island  rose  gradual 
from  the  sea  in  which  it  seemed  to  float,  and  was  so 
covered  with  innumerable  fruit-trees  in  full  blos- 
som, that  it  looked  like  some  enchanted  forest.  I 
shall  not  attempt  to  describe  a  place  so  well  known 
as  New-York,  but  merely  content  myself  with  say- 
ing that  r  was  charmed  with  the  air  of  easy  gaiety, 
and  social  kindness,  that  seemed  to  prevail  every 
where  among  the  people,  and  the  cheerful  animat- 
ed appearance  of  the  place  altogether.  Here  I  fed 
the  painful  longings  of  my  mind,  which  already  be- 
gan to  turn  impatiently  towards  Madame,  by  con- 
versing with  young  people  whom  I  had  met  at  her 
house,  on  their  summer  excursions.  These  were 
most  desirous  to  please  and  amuse  me  ;  and,  though 
I  knew  little  of  good  breeding,  I  had  good  nattiir 

}\c2 


I 


m 


■\\ 


18 


MEMOIRS  OF 


enough  to  try  to  seem  pleased,  but,  in  fact,  I  en- 
joyed nothing.  Though  I  saw  there  was  much  to 
enjoy  had  my  mind  been  turned  ati  usual  to  social 
-delight,  fatigued  with  the  kindness  of  others  and 
my  own  simulation^  I  tried  to  forget  my  sorrows  in 
sleep ;  but  night,  that  was  wont  to  bring  peac43  and 
silence  in  her  train,  had  no  such  companions  here. 
The  spirit  of  discord  had  broke  loose.  The  fer- 
mentation was  begun  that  has  not  yet  ended.  And 
ut  midnight,  bands  of  intoxicated  electors,  who 
ivere  then  choosinj^  a  member  for  the  Assembly, 
came  thundering  to  the  doors,  demanding  a  vote 
lor  tlieir  favoured  candidate.  An  hour  after  ano- 
ther party  equally  vociferous,  and  not  more  sober, 
alarmed  us,  by  insisting  on  our  giving  our  votes 
for  their  favourite  competitor.  This  was  mere 
play ;  but  before  we  embarked,  there  was  a  kind  of 
prelusive  .^*rmish,  that  strongly  marked  the  spirit 
of  the  times.  These  new  patriots  had  taken  it  in 
their  heads  that  Lieutenant-Governor  Colden  sent 
home  intelligence  of  their  proceedings,  or  in  some 
other  way  betrayed  them,  as  they  thought,  to  Go- 
\'ernment.  In  one  of  these  fits  of  excess  and  fury, 
which  are  so  often  the  result  of  popular  elections, 
they  went  to  his  house,  drew  out  his  coach,  and  set 
tire  to  it.  This  was  the  night  before  we  embarked, 
after  a  week's  stay  in  New-York. 

My  little  story  being  no  longer  blended  with  the 
memoirs  of  my  benefactress,  I  shall  not  trouble 
the  i-cader  with  the  account  of  our  melancholy  and 
perilous  voyage.  Here,  too,  with  regret  I  must 
close  the  account  of  what  I  knew  of  Aunt  Schuyler. 
I- heard  very  little  of  her  till  the  breaking  out  of 
that  disastroivs  war,  which  every  one,  whatever  side 
they  may  have  taken  at  the  time,  must  look  bivck 
on  with  disgust  and  horror. 

To  tell  the  history  of  Aunt  during  the  years  that 
her  life  was  prolonged  to  witness  scenes  abhorrent 
to  her  feelings,  and  her  principles,  would  be  a  pain- 
lul  task  indeed  J  though  I  were  better  informed  than 


*"^ 


AN  AMERICAN  LADY. 


31^ 


I  ani)  or  wish  to  be,  of  the  transactions  of  those  per"* 
turbed  times.  Of  her  pnvate  history  I  only  know, 
that,  on  the  accidental  death,  formerly  mentioned, 
of  her  nephew  Capt.  Cordandt  Schuyieir,  she  took 
home  his  two  eldest  sons,  and  kept  them  with  her 
till  her  own  death,  which  happened  in  1778  or 
1779.  I  know  too,  that  like  the  Roman  Atticus, 
she  kept  free  from  the  violence  and  bigotry  of 
pal  ty,  and  like  him  too,  kindly  and  liberally  assist- 
ed those  of  each  side,  who,  as  the  tide  of  success 
ran  different  ways,  were  considered  as  unfortunate. 
On  this  subject  I  do  not  wish  to  enlarge^  but  shall 
merely  observe,  that  all  the  Goloncrs  relations  were 
on  the  republican  side,  while  every  one  of  her  own 
nephews  adhered  to  the  royal  cause,  to  their  very 
great  loss  and  detriment ;  though  some  of  them 
have  now  found  a  home  in  Upper  Canada,  where,  if 
they  are  alienated  from  their  native  province,  they 
have  at  least  the  consolation  of  meeting  many  other 
deserving  people,  whom  the  fuiy  of  party  had  dri- 
ven there  for  refuge.*         »:■     i.i    C'.'.  l.i'y 

Though  unwilling  to  obtrude  upon  my  reader  any 
further  particulars,  irrelevent  to  the  main  story  I 
have  endeavoured  to  detail,  he  may  perliaps  be  de- 
sirous to  know  how  the  township  of  Clarendon  was 
at  length  disposed  of.  My  father's  friend,  Captain 
Munro,  was  engaged  for  himself  and  bis  military 
friends,  in  a  litigation,  or  I  should  rather  say,  tiic 
provinces  of  New-York  and  Connecticut  continued 
to  dispute  the  right  to  the  boundary  within  the 

*  Since  writing  the  above,  the  author  of  this  narrative  has 
Iicard  many  particulars  oftlie  later  years  of  her  good  friend,  b^ 
■which  it  appeal's,  that  to  tlie  last  her  loyalty  and  public  spirit 
burned  with  a  clear  and  steady  Hame.  She  was  bv  that  time  too 
venerable  as  well  as  respectable  to  be  insulted  U)r  her  princi- 
ples; and  her  opinions  were  always  delivered  in  a  manner  firjn 
and  calm,  like  her  own  mind,  which  was  loo  well  regulated  to 
admit  the  rancour  of  party,  nnd  too  dignifiefl  to  stoop  to  dis- 
guise of  any  kind.  She  died  full  of  years,  and  honoured  by  all 
uho  could  or  could  not  a|ii>rc'ciate  her  worth;  for  not  (o  ebteerx 
A^Uit  Svliuyler  w  as  to  foik'it  all  pretensions  to  estimation 


Hill 


I    ■!' 


a ! 


I'i 


520 


MEMOIRS  OF 


twenty  mile  line,  till  a  dispute  still  more  seriouB 
gave  spirit  to  the  new  settlers  from  Connecticut,  to 
rise  in  arms,  and  expel  the  unfortunate  loyalists 
from  that  distridt,  which  was  bounded  on  one  side  by 
the  Green  mountain,  since  distinguished,  like  Rome 
in  its  infancy,  as  a  place  of  refuge  to  all  the  lawless 
and  uncontrollable  spirits  who  had  banished  them- 
selves from  general  society. 

It  was  a  great  mortification  to  speculative  ro- 
mance.and  vanity,  for  me  to  consider  that  the  very 
spot,  which  I  had  been  used  fondly  to  contemplate 
as  the  future  abode  of  peace,  innocence,  and  all  the 
social  virtues,  that  this  very  spot  should  be  singled 
out  from  all  others,  as  a  refuge  for  the  vagabonds 
and  banditti  of  the  continent.  They  were,  how- 
ever, distinguished  by  a  kind  of  desperate  bravery 
and  unconquerable  obstinacy.  They,  at  one  time, 
set  the  states  and  the  mother  country  equally  at 
defiance,  and  set  up  for  an  independence  of  their 
own ;  on  this  occasion  they  were  so  troublesome, 
and  the  others  so  tame,  that  the  last  mentioned 
were  fain  to  purchase  their  nominal  submission  by 
a  most  disgraceful  concession.  There  was  a  kind 
of  provision  made  for  all  the  British  subjects  who 
possessed  property  in  the  alienated  provinces,  pro-» 
vided  that  they  had  not  bore  arms  against  the  Ame- 
ricans ;  these  were  permitted  to  sell  their  lands, 
though  not  for  their  full  value,  but  at  a  limited 
price*  My- father  came  precisely  under  this  de- 
scription ;  but  the  Green  mountain  boys,  as  the  ir- 
regular inhabitants  of  the  disputed  boundaries  were 
then  called,  conscious  that  ail  the  lands  they  had 
forcibly  usurped  were  liable  to  this  kind  of  claim, 
set  up  the  standard  of  independence.  They  indeed 
positively  refused  to  confederate  with  the  rest,  or 
consent  to  the  proposed  peace,  unless  the  robbery 
they  liad  committed  should  be  sanctioned  by  a  law, 
giving  them  a  full  right  to  retain,  unquestioned^ 
this  violent  acquisition,     j     ' 


AN  AMERICAN  I.ADY. 


321 


It  is  doubtful,  of  three  parties,  who  -were  most 
to  blame  on  this  occasion.  The  depredators,  who, 
in  defiance  of  even  natural  equity,  seized  and  erect- 
ed  this  Httle  petulent  state.  The  mean  concession 
of  the  other  provinces,  who,  after  permitting  this 
one  to  set  their  authority  at  defiance,  soothed  them 
into  submission  by  a  gift  of  what  was  not  theirs  to 
bestow ;  or  the  tame  acquiescence  of  the  then  min- 
istry, in  an  arrangement  which  deprived  faithful 
subjects,  who  were  at  the  same  time  war- worn 
veterans,  of  the  i*eward  assigned  them  for  their  ser- 
vices. • 

Proud  of  the  resemblance  which  their  origin  bore 
to  that  of  ancient  Roilie,  they  latinized  the  common 
appellation  of  their  territory,  and  made  wholesome 
laws  for  its  regulation.  Thus  began  the  petty  state 
of  Vermont;  and  tluis  ends  the  history  of  an  heiv' 


CSS. 


.,.-.-?- 


n 


( •  ■ , 


CHAP.  LXIII. 

GeA«r«l  Rsfleetions. 


» 1 


*  •  '  >  ■ 


J  *  -     r    ' 

jL  hope  my  readers  will  share  the  satis&ction  £ 
feely  in  ccmtemplating^  at  this  distance^  the  growing 
prosperity  of  Albany>  which  is,  I  am  told,  greatly 
increased  in  site  and  consequence,  far  superior,  in- 
deed, to  any  inland  town  on  the  Continent}  and  so 
important  from  its  centrical  situation^  that  it  has 
been  proposed  as  the  seat  of  Congress,  which, 
should  the  party  attached  to  Britain  ever  gain  the 
ascendancy  over  the  southern  states,  would,  very 
probably,  be  the  case.  The  morality,  simple  man- 
ners, and  consistent  opinions  of  the  inhabitants,  still 
bearing  evident  traces  of  that  iDiegrity  and  simpli- 
city which  once  distinguished  them.    The  rchec- 


:'i 


332 


'    MEMOIRS  OF 


tions  which  must  result  from  the  knowledge  of 
these  circumstances  are  so  obvious,  that  it  is  need- 
less to  point  them  out. 

A  reader  that  has  patience  to  proceed  thus  far^ 
in  a  narration  too  careless  and  desultory  for  the 
grave,  and  too  heavy  and  perplexed  for  the  gay,  too 
minute  for  the  busy,  and  too  serious  for  tho  idle ; 
such  a  reader  must  have  been  led  on  by  an  inter- 
est in  the  virtues  of  the  leading  character,  and  will 
be  sufficiently  awake  to  their  remaining  effects. 

Very  different,  however,  must  be  the  reflections 
that  arise  from  a  more  general  view  of  the  present 
state  of  our  ancient  colonies. 


*•  O  for  that  warning;  voice,  which  he  who  saw 
"  Th'  Apocalypse,  heard  cry.  That  a  voice,  like 
"  The  deep  and  dreadful  organ-pipe  o'i  Heaven," 


;l  <. 


would  speak  terror  to  those  whose  delight  i»  Jn 
change  and  agitation ;  to  those  wlio  vvp*ntonly  light 
up  the  torch  of  discord,  which  many  waters  will  not 
extinguish  Even  when  peace  succeeds  to  the 
breathless  fury  of  such  a  contest,  it  comes  too  late 
to  restore  the  virtues,  the  hopes,  the  affections  that 
have  perished  in  it.  The  gangrene  of  the  land  is 
not  healed,  and  the  prophets  vainly  cry  peace  4 
peace !  where  there  is  no  peace. 

However  upright  the  intentions  may  be  of  the 
first  leaders  of  popular  insurrections,  it  may  be  tru- 
ly said  of  them,  in  the  end,  instruments  of  cruelty 
are  in  their  habitations :  nay,  must  be,  for  when 
they  have  proceeded  a  certain  length,  conciliation 
or  lenity  would  be  cruelty  to  their  followers,  who 
are  gone  too  far,  to  return  to  the  place  from  which 
they  set  out.  Rectitude,  hitherto  upheld  by  laws, 
by  custom,  and  by  fear,  now  walks  alone,  in  unac- 
customed paths,  and  like  a  tottering  infant,  falls  at 
the  first  assault,  or  first  obstacle  it  meets ;  but  falls 
to  rise  no  more.  Let  any  one  who  has  mixed  much 
with  mankind,  say,  what  would  be  the  consequence 
Jf- restraint  were  withdrawn,  and  impunity  offered 


AN  AMERICAN  LADY. 


■S2S 


to  all  whose  probity  is  not  fixed  on  the  basis  of  real 
piety,  or  supported  by  singular  fortitude,  and  that 
sound  sense  which,  discerning  remote  consequen- 
ces, preserves  integrity  as  armour  of  proof  against 
the  worst  that  can  happen. 

True  it  is,  that  amidst  these  convulsions  of  the 
moral  world,  exigencies  bring  out  some  characters 
that  sweep  across  the  gloom  like  meteors  in  a  tem- 
pestuous night,  which  would  not  have  been  distin- 
guished in  the  sunshine  of  prosperity.     It  is  in  the 
swell  of  the  turbulent  ocean  that  the  mightiest  liv- 
ing handy-works  of  the  author  of  nature  arc  to  be 
met  with.     Great  minds  no  doubt  are  called  out  by 
-exigencies,  and  put  forth  all  their  powers.  Though 
Hercules  slew  the  Hydra  and  cleansed  the  Augsan 
stable,  all  but  poets  and  heroes  miist  have  regret- 
ted that  any  such  monsters  existed.     Seriously, 
beside  the  rancour,  the  treachery,  and  the  derelic- 
tion of  every  generous  sentiment  and  upright  mo- 
tive, which  are  the  rank  production  of  the  blood- 
manured  field  of  civil  discord,  after  the  froth  and 
feculence  of  its  cauldron  have  boiled  over,  still  the 
deleterious  dregs  remain.     Truth  is  the  first  vic- 
tim to  fear  and  policy  ;  when  matters  arrive  at  that 
crisis,  every  one  finds  a  separate  interest ;  mutual 
confidence,  which  cannot  outlive   sincerity,   dies 
next,  and  all  the  kindred  virtues  drop  in  succession. 
It  becomes  a  man's  interest  that  his  brothers  and 
his  father  should  join  the  opposite  party,  that  some 
maybe  applauded  for  steadiness  or  enri:hed  by 
confiscations :  to  such  temptations  the  mind,  fer- 
menting with  party  hatred,  yields  with  less  resis- 
tance than  could  be  imagined  by  those   who  have 
never  witnessed  such  scenes  of  horror  darkened  by 
duplicity.     After  so  deep  a  plunge  in  depravity, 
how  difficult,  how  near  to  impossible  is  a  return  to 
the  paths  of  rectitude  !  This  is  but  a  single  instance 
of  the  manner  in  which  moral  feeling  is  undermin- 
ed in  both  parties.     But  as  our  nature,  destined  to 
iiuffer  and  to  mourn,  and  to  have  the  heart  made 


324 


MEMOIRS  OF 


better  by  affliction,  finds  adversity  a  less  dangerous 
trial  than  prosperity,  especially  where  it  is  great 
and  sudden,  in  all  civil  conflicts  the  triumphant 
party  may,  with  moral  truth,  be  said  to  be  the 
greatest  sufferers.  Intoxicated  as  they  often  arc 
with  power  and  affluence,  purchased  with  the  blood 
and  tears  of  their  friends  and  countrymen,  the  hard 
task  remains  to  them  of  chaining  up  and  reducing 
to  submission  the  many-headed  monster,  whom 
they  have  been  forced  to  let  loose  and  gorge  with 
the  spoils  of  the  vanquished.  Then,  too,  comes  on 
the  difficulty  of  dividing  power  where  no  one  has  a 
right,  and  every  one  a  claim :  of  ruling  those  whom 
they  have  taught  to  despise  authority  ;  and  of  re- 
vivihg  that  sentiment  of  patriotism,  and  that  love  * 
of  glory,  which  factii^n  and  self-interest  have  ex- 
tinguished. 

When  the  white  and  red  roses  were  the  symbols 
of  faction  in  England,  and  when  the  contest  be- 
tween Baliol  and  Bruce  made  way  for  invasion  and 
tyranny  in  Scotland,  the  destruction  of  armies  and 
of  cities,  public  executions,  plunder  and  confisca- 
tions, were  the  least  evils  that  they  occasioned. 
The  annihilation  of  public  virtue  and  private  confi- 
dence ;  the  exasperation  of  hereditary  hatred ;  the 
corrupting  the  milk  of  human  kindness,  and  break- 
ing asunder  every  sacred  tie  by  which  man  and 
'man  are  held  together :  all  these  dreadful  results 
of  civil  discord  are  the  means  of  visiting  the  sins  of 
civil  war  on  the  third  and  fourth  generation  of  those 
who  have  kindled  it.     Yet  the  extinction  of  charity^ 
and  kindness  in  dissensions  like  these,  is  not  to  be 
compared  to  that  which  is  the  consequence  of  an 
entire  subversion  of  the  accustomed  form   of  go- 
vernment.    Attachment  to  a  monarch  or   line  of 
royalty,  aims  only  at  a  single  object,  and  is  at  worst 
loyalty  and  fidelity  misplaced :  yet  war  once  begun 
on  such  a  motive,  loosens  the  bands  of  society,  and 
opens  to  the  ambitious  and  the  rapacious  the  way 
to  power  and  plunder.    Still,  however,  the  laws. 


AN  AMERICAN  LADY. 


3155 


the  customs,  and  the  frame  of  government  stand 
where  they  did.  When  the  contest  is  decided,  and 
the  successful  competitor  established,  if  the  mo- 
narch possesses  ability  and  courts  popularity^  he, 
or  at  any  rate  his  immediate  successor,  may  rule 
happily,  and  reconcile  those  who  were  the  enemies, 
not  of  his  place,  but  of  his  person.  The  mighty 
image  of  sovereign  power  may  change  its  "head  of 
gold"  for  one  of  silver ;  but  still  it  stands  firm  on 
its  basis,  supported  by  all  those  whom  it  protects. 
But  when  thrown  from  its  pedestal  by  an  entire 
subversion  of  government,  the  wreck  is  far  more 
fatal  and  the  traces  indelible.  Those  who  on  each 
side  support  the  heirs  claiming  a  disputed  crown, 
mean  equally  to  be  faithful  and  loyal  toiheir  right- 
ful sovereign ;  and  are  thus,  thoAigh  in  opposition 
to  each  other,  actuated  by  the  same  sentiment. 
But  when  the  spirit  of  extermination  walks  forth 
over  prostrate  thrones  and  altars,  ages  cannot  ef- 
face the  traces  of  its  progress^  A  contest  for  sove- 
reignty is  a  whirlwind,  that  rages  fiercely  while  it 
continues,  and  deforms  the  face  of  external  nature. 
New  houses,  however,  replace  those  it  has  demo- 
lished ;  trees  grow  up  in  the  place  of  those  de- 
stroyed ;  the  landscape  laughs,  the  birds  sing,  and 
every  thing  returns  to  its  accustomed  course.  But 
a  total  subversion  of  a  long  established  government 
is  like  an  earthquake,  that  not  only  overturns  the 
works  of  man,  but  changes  the  wonted  course  and 
operation  of  the  very  elements ;  makes  a  gulph  in 
the  midst  of  a  fertile  plain,  casts  a  mountain  into  a 
lake,  and  in  fine  produces  such  devastation  as  it  is 
not  in  the  power. of  man.  to  remedy.  Indeed  it  is 
too  obvious  that,  even  in  our  own  country,  that  fire 
which  produced  the  destruction  of  the  monarchy, 
still  glows  among  the  ashes  of  extinguished  fac- 
tions ;  but  that  portion  of  the  community  who  car- 
ried with  them  across  the  Atlantic,  the  repugnance 
to  submission  which  grew  out  of  an  indefinite  love 
of  liberty,  might  be  compared  to  the  Persian  Magir 

Ff 


■Ji'!" 


i% 


'o^6 


MEMOIRS  OF 


Like  tficm,  when  forced  to  fly  from  their  native 
country,  they  carried  with  them  a  portion  of  the 
hallowed  fire,  which  continued  to  be  the  object  of 
their  secret  worship.  Those  who  look  upon  the 
revolution,  of  which  this  spirit  was  the  prime 
mbvcr,  as  tending  to  advance  the  general  happi- 
ness, no  doubt  consider  these  opinions  as  a  rich  in- 
heritance, productive  of  the  best  eflfects.  Many 
wise  and  worthy  persons  have  thought  and  still 
continue  to  think  so.  There  is  as  yet  no  room  for 
decision,  the  experiment  not  being  completed. 
Their  mode  of  government,  anomalous  and  hither- 
to inefficient,  has  not  yet  acquired  the  firmness  of 
cohesion,  or  the  decisive  tone  of  authority. 

The  birth  of  this  great  empire  is  a  phiaenomenon 
in  the  history  of  mankind.  There  is  nothing  like 
it  in  reality  or  fable,  but  the  birth  of  Minerva,  who 
proceeded  full  armed  and  full  grown  out  of  the 
iiead  of  the  thundorer.  Population,  arts,  science^, 
and  laws,  extension  of  territory,  and  establishment 
of  power,  have  been  gradual  and  progressive 
in  other  countries,  where  the  current  of  dominion 
Avent  on  increasing  as  it  flowed,  by  conquests  or 
other  acquisitions,  which  it  swallowed  like  rivulets 
in  its  course  :  but  here  it  bufst  forth  like  a 
torrent,  spreading  itself  at  once  into  an  ex- 
panse, vast  as  their  own  superior  lake,  before  the 
eyes  of  the  passive  generation  which  witnessed  its 
birth.  Yet  it  is  wonderful  how  little  talent  or  in- 
tellectual pre-eminence  of  any  kind  has  appeared 
in  this  new-born  world,  which  seems  already  old  in 
worldly  craft,  and  whose  children  are  indeed  "  wiser 
in  their  generation  than  the  children  of  light.'* 
Self-interest,  eagerly  grasping  at  pecuniary  advan- 
tages, seems  toi)e  the  ruling  principle  of  this  great 
continent. 

Love  of  country,  that  amiable  and  noble  senti- 
ment, which  by  turns  exalts  and  softens  t'le  human 
mind,  nourishes  enthusiasm,  and  inspires  alike  the 
hero  and  the  sugf',  to  defend  and  adorn  the  sacred 
land  of  their  nativity,  is  a  principle  which  hardly 


AN  AMERICAN  LADY. 


327 


exists  there.  An  American  loves  his  country,  or 
prefers  it  rather,  because  its  rivers  are  wide  and 
deep,  and  abound  in  fish ;  because  he  has  the  forests 
to  retire  to,  if  the  god  of  gainful  commerce  should 
prove  unpropitious  on  the  shore.  He  loves  it  be- 
cause if  his  negro  is  disrespectful,  or  disobedient, 
he  can  sell  him  and  buy  another ;  while  if  he  himself 
is  disobedient  to  the  laws  of  his  country,  or  disres- 
pectful to  the  magistracy  appointed  to  enforce  them, 
that  shadow  of  authority,  without  power  to  do  good, 
or  prevent  evil,  must  possess  its  soul  in  patience. 
We  love  our  country  because  wc  honour  our  an- 
cestors; because  it  is  endeared  to  us  not  only  by 
early  habit,  but  by  attachment  to  the  spots  hallowed 
by  their  piety,  their  heroism,  their  genius,  or  their 
public  spirit.  We  honour  it  as  the  scene  of  noble 
deeds,  the  nurse  of  sages,  bards,  and  heroes.  The 
very  aspect  and  features  of  this  blest  asylum  of 
liberty,  science,  and  religion,  warm  our  hearts,  and 
animate  our  imaginations.  Enthusiasm  kindles  at 
the  thoughts  of  what  we  have  been,  and  what  we 
are.  It  is  the  last  retreat,  the  citadel,  iti  which  all 
that  is  worth  living  for  is  concentrated.  Among 
the  other  tics  which  were  broken,  by  the  detach- 
ment of  America  from  us,  that  fine  ligament, 
which  binds  us  to  the  tombti  of  our  ancestors,  (and 
seems  to  convey  to  us  the  spirit  and  the  aifections 
-we  derive  from  them)  wasdissolved :  with  it  perish- 
ed all  generous  emulation.     Fame, 

*<  Thut  spur  whiuh  the  clear  mind  doth  raise 
To  live  laborious  nights  and  painful  days,'* 

has  no  votaries  amongthe  students  of  Poor  Richard's 
almanac,  the  great  Pharos  of  the  states.  The  land 
of  their  ancestors,  party  hostility  has  taught  them 
to  regard  with  scorn  and  hatred.  That  in  which 
they  live  calls  up  no  images  of  past  glory  ov  excel- 
lence. Neither  hopeful  nor  desirous  of  that  after- 
existence,  which  has  been  most  coveted  by  those 
who  do  things  worth  recording,  they  not  only  live. 


328 


MEMOIRS  OP 


but  thrive;  and  that  is  quite  enough.  A  man  nip 
longer  says  of  himself  with  exultation,  "  I  belong 
*^  to  the  land  where  Milton  sung  the  song  of  sera- 
•*  phims,  and  Newton  traced  the  paths  of  light ; 
**  where  Alfred  established  his  throne  in  wisdom, 
"  and  where  the  palms  and  laurels  of  renown  shade 
"  the  tombs  of  the  mighty  and  the  excellent." 
Thus  dissevered  from  recollections  so  dear,  and 
so  ennobling,  what  ties  are  substituted  in  their 
places  ?  Can  he  regard  with  tender  and  reverential 
feelings,  a  land  that  has  not  only  been  deprived  of 
its  best  ornaments,  but  become  a  receptacle  of  the 
«utcasts  of  society  from  every  nation  in  Europe  ? 
Is  there  a  person  whose  dubious  or  turbulent  cha- 
vacter  has  made  him  unwelcome  or  suspected  in 
society,  he  goes  to  America,  where  he  knows  no 
©ne,  and  is  of  no  one  known ;  and  where  he  can 
with  safety  assume  any  character.  All  that  trem- 
ble with  the  consciousness  of  undetected  crimes* 
or  smart  from  the  consequence  of  unchecked  fol- 
lies ;  fraudulent  bankrupts,  unsuccessful  adventur- 
ers, restless  projectors,  or  seditious  agitators,  this 
great  Limbus  Patrum  has  room  for  them  all ;  and 
to  it  they  fly  in  the  day  of  their  calamity.  With 
such  a  heterogeneous  mixture  a  transplanted  Driton 
of  the  original  stock,  a  true  old  American,  ir.ay  live 
in  charity,  but  can  never  assimilate.  Who  can, 
with  the  cordiality  due  to  that  sacred  appellation, 
"  my  country,"  apply  it;  to  that  land  of  Hivites  and 
Girgashites,  where  one  cannot  travel  ten  miles,  in 
u  stretch,  without  meeting  detachments  of  difler-i 
cnt  nations,  lorn  from  their  native  soil  and  first  af- 
lections,  and  living  aliens  in  a  strange  land,  where 
no  one  seems  to  form  part  of  an  attached  connected 
whole. 

To  those  enlarged  minds,  who  have  got  far  be- 
yond the  petty  consideration  of  country  and  kindred, 
to  embrace  the  whole  human  race,  a  land,  whose 
population  is  like  Joseph's  coat,  of  many  colours, 
must  be  a  peculiarly  suitable  abode.     For  in  the 


AN  AMERICAN  LADY. 


329 


endless  variety  of  the  patchwork,  of  which  society 
is  composed,  a  liberal  philosophic  mind  might 
meet  with  the  specimens  of  all  those  tongues  and 
nations  which  he  comprehends  in  the  wide  circle 
of  his  enlarged  philanthropy* 


I,  I 


CHAP.  LXIV. 


Refleetions  Cc.^>)iucd. 


1 


HAT  some  of  the  leader  .  '  le  hostile  party  in 
America  acted  upon  liberal  and  patriotic  views  can 
not  be  doubted.  There  were  many,  indeed,  of 
whom  the  public  good  was  the  leading  principle  ; 
and  to  these  the  cause  was  a  noble  one  :  yet  even 
these  little  foresaw  the  result.  Had  they  known 
what  a  cold  selfish  character,  what  a  dereliction  of 
religious  principle,  what  furious  factions,  and  wild 
unsettled  notions  of  government,  were  to  be  the 
consequences  of  this  utter  alienation  from  the  pa- 
rent state,  they  would  have  shrunk  back  from  the 
prospect.  Those  fine  minds  who,  nurtured  in  the 
love  of  science  and  of  elegance,  looked  back  to  the 
land  of  their  forefathers  for  models  of  excellence, 
and  drank  inspiration  from  the  production  of  the 
British  muse,  could  not  but  feel  this  rapture  as 
"  a  wrench  from  all  we  love,  from  all  wc  cr<?.'*— • 
They,  too,  might  wish,  when  time  had  ripened  their 
growing  empire,  to  assert  that  independence  which 
when  mature  in  strength  and  knowledge,  wc  claim 
even  of  the  parents  we  love  and  honour.— But  to 
snatch  it  with  a  rude  and  bloody  grasp,  outraged 
the  feelings  of  those  gentler  children  of  the  com- 
mon parent.  Mildness  of  manners,  refinement  of 
mind,  and  all  the  softer  virtues  that  spring  up  in  the 
cultivated  paths  of  social  life,  nurtured  by  generous 

Ff2 


;3o 


MEMOIRS  OF 


affections,  were  undoubtedly  to  be  found  on  the  side 
of  the  unhappy  roy'.ists;  whatever  superiority  in 
vigour  and  intrepidity  might  be  claimed  by  their 
persecutors.  Certainly,  however  necessary  the 
ruling  powers  might  find  it  to  carry  their  system  of 
oxile  into  execution,  it  has  occasioned  to  the  coun- 
t5ry  an  irreparable  privation. 

When  the  Edict  of  Nantz  gave  the  scattering 
blow  to  the  protcstants  of  France,  they  carried  with 
ahem  their  arts,  their  frugal  regular  habits,  and 
that  portable  mine  of  wealth  which  is  the  portion  of 
patient  industry.  The  chasm  produced  in  France 
by  the  departure  of  so  muc|i  humble  virtue,  and  so 
many  useful  arts,  has  never  been  filled. 

What  the  loss  of  the  Hugonots  was  to  commerce 
and  manufactures  in  France,  that  of  the  loyalists 
Avas  to  religion,  literature,  and  amenity,,  in  Ameri- 
ca.    The  silken  threads  were  drawn  out  of  the  mix- 
ed web  of  society,  which  has  ever  since  been  com- 
paratively coarse  and  homely.     The  dawning  light 
of  elegant  science  was  quenched  in  universal  dull- 
ness.   No  ray  has  broke  through  the  general  gloom 
oxcept  the  phosphoric  lightnings  of  her  cold  blood- 
ed philosopher,  the  deistical  Franklin,  the  legiti- 
mate father  of  the  American  "  age  of  calculation.'* 
So  well  have  *^thc  children  of  his  soul**  profited  by 
the  frugal  lessons  of  this  apostle  of  Plutus,  that 
we  see  a  new  empire  blest  in  its  infancy  with  all  the 
saving  virtues  which  are  the  usual  portion  of  cau- 
tious and  feeble  age ;    and  we  behold  it  with  ther 
s«ime  complacent  surprise  which  fills  our  minds  at 
The  sight  of  a  young  miser. 

Forgive  me,  shade  of  the  accomplished  Hamil- 
ton,* while  all  that  is  lovely  in  virtue,  all  that  is 
honourable  in  valour,  and  all  that  is  admirable  in 
talent,  conspire  to  lament  the  early  setting  of  that 

*  General  Hamilton,  killed  in  a  duel,  into  Mhich  he  was  for- 
lied  by  Aaron  Burr,  Vice -President  of  Conp*es9,  at  Ncw-Yorfc, 
in  180*.  .   . 


AN  AMERICAN  LADY. 


nsi 


western  star ;  and  to  deck  the  tomb  of  worth  and' 
genius  with  wreaths  of  immortal  bloom :  " '  'H 


"  Thee  Columbia  long  shall  weep ; 
**  Ne'er  again  thy  likeness  see  •** 


I  • 


r 
1  . 


'  }t(. 


fain  would  I  add, 


'*  Long  her  strains  in  sorrows  steep)  "^ 

**  Strains  of  immortality/*  Orav 


jf- 


but,  alas  I 


**  They  have  no  poet,  and  they  die. 


Pope. 


His  character  was  a  bright  exception  ;  yet,  after 
alt,  an  exception  that  only  confirms  the  rule^.  What 
must  be  the  state  of  that  country  where  worth,  tal- 
ent, and  the  disinterested  exercise  of  every  faculty 
of  a  vigorous  and  exalted  mind,  were  in  vain  devo- 
ted  to  the  public  good  ?  Where,  indeed^  they  only 
marked  out  their  possessor  for  a  victim  to  the 
shrine  of  faction  ?  Alas !  that  a  compliance  with 
the  laws  of  false  honour,  (the  only  blemish  of  a 
stainless  life)  should  be  so  dearly  expiated !  Yet 
the  deep  sense  expressed  by  all  parties  of  this  ge- 
neral loss,  seems  to  promise  a  happier  day  at  some 
future  period,  when  this  chaos  of  jarring  elements 
shall  be  reduced  by  some  parvading  and  governing 
mind  into  a  settled  form. 

But  much  must  be  dune,  and  suffered,  before 
this  change  can  take  place.  There  never  can  be 
much  improvement  till  there  is  union  and  subordi- 
nation ;  till  those  strong  local  attachments  are  form- 
ed, which  are  the  basis  of  patriotism,  and  the  bonds 
of  social  attachment.  But,  while  such  a  wide  field 
is  open  to  the  spirit  of  adventure  ;  and,  while  the 
facility  of  removal  encourages  that  restless  and  un- 
governable spirit,  there  is  little  hope  of  any  mate- 
rial change.  There  is  in  America  a  double  princi- 
ple of  fermentation,  which  continues  to  impede  the 
growth  of  the  arts  and  sciences,  and  of  those  gent- 
ler virtues  of  social  life,  which  were  blasted  by  the 


ii  1. 


li  i. 


M 


3a2 


MEMOIRS  OF 


breath  of  popular  fury.  On  the  sea-side  there  is  a 
perpetual  importation  of  lawless  and  restless  per- 
sons, who  have  no  other  path  to  the  notoriety  they 
covet)  but  that  which  leads  through  party,  violence  ^ 
and  of  the  want  of  that  local  attachment,  I  have  been 
speaking  of,  there  can  be  no  stronger  proof,  than 
the  passion  for  emigration  so  frequent  in  America. 

Among  those  who  are  neither  beloved  in  the  vi- 
cinity of  their  place  of  abode,  nor  kept  stationary 
by  any  gainful  pursuit,  it  is  incredible  how  light  a 
matter  will  afford  a  pretext  for  removal ! 

Here  is  one  great  motive,  for  good  conduct  and 
decorous  manners,  obliterated.  The  good  opin- 
ion, of  his  neighbours  is  of  little  consequence  to 
hinl,  who  can  scarce  be  said  to  have  any.  If  a  man 
keeps  free  of  those  crimes  which  a  regard  to  the 
public  safety  compels  the  magistrate  to  punish,  he 
finds  shelter  in  every  forest  from  the  scorn  and  dis- 
like incurred  by  petty  trespasses  on  society.— 
There,  all  who  are  unwilling  to  submit  to  the  re- 
stmnts  of  law  and  religion,  may  live  unchallenged, 
at  a  distance  from  the  public  exercise  of  either.— 
There  all  whom  want  has  made  desperate,  whether 
it  be  the  want  of  abilities,  of  character,  or  the  means 
to  live,  are  sure  to  take  shelter.  This  habit  of  re- 
moving furnishes,  however,  a  palliation  for  some 
evils,  for  the  facility  with  which  they  change  resi- 
dence becomes  the  means  of  ridding  the  commu- 
nity of  members  too  turbulent  or  too  indolent  to  be 
quiet  or  useful.  It  is  a  kind  of  voluntary  exile, 
where  those  whom  government  want  power  and 
efficiency  to  banish,  very  obligingly  banish  them- 
selves ;  thus  preventing  the  explosions  which 
might  be  occasioned  by  their  continuing  mingled  in 
the  general  mass. 

It  is  owing  to  this  salutary  discharge  of  peccant 
humours  that  matters  go  on  so  quiety  as  they  do, 
under  a  government  which  is  neither  feared  nor  lo- 
ved, by  the  community  it  rules.  These  removals 
urc  incredibly  frequent ;  for  the  same  family,  fly- 


AN  AMERICAN  LADY. 


330 


ing  as  it  were  before  the  face  of  legal  authority  and 
civilization,  are  often  known  to  remove  farther  and 
farther  back  into  the  woods,  every  fifth  or  sixth 
year,  as  the  population  begins  to  draw  nearer.  By 
this  secession  from  society,  a  partial  reformation  is 
in  some  cases  effected.  A  person  incapable  of  re- 
gular industry  and  compliance  with  its  established 
customs,  will  certainly  do  least  harm,  when  forced 
to  depend  on  his  personal  exertions.  When  a  man 
places  himself  in  the  situation  of  Robinson  Crusoe, 
with  the  difterence  of  a  wife  and  children  for  that 
solitary  hero's  cats  and  parrots,  he  must  of  necessi- 
ty make  exertions  like  his,  or  perish.  He  becomes 
not  a  regular  husbandman,  but  a  hunter,  with  whom 
agriculture  is  but  a  secondary  consideration.  His 
Indian  corn  and  potatoes,  which  constitute  the  main 
part  of  his  crop,  are,  in  due  time,  hoed  by  his  wife, 
and  daughters ;  while  the  axe  and  the  gun  are  the 
only  implements  he  willingly  handles.  •'  • 

Fraud  and  avarice  are  the  vices  of  society,  and 
do  not  thrive  in  the  shade  of  the  forests.  The  hun- 
ter, like  the  sailor,  has  little  thought  of  coveting  or 
amassing.  He  does  not  forge,  nor  cheat,  nor  steal, 
us  such  an  unprincipled  person  must  have  done  in 
the  world,  where,  instead  of  wild  beasts,  he  must 
have  preyed  upon  his  fellows,  and  he  docs  not  drink 
much,  because  liquor  is  not  attainable.  But  he  be- 
comes  coarse,  savage,  and  totally  negligent  of  all 
the  forms  and  decencies  of  life.  He  grows  wild 
and  unsocial.  To  him  a  neighbour  is  an  encroach- 
er.  He  has  learnt  to  do  without  one ;  and  he  knows 
not  how  to  yield  to  him  in  any  point  of  mutual  ac- 
commodation. He  careii  neither  to  give  or  take 
assistance,  and  finds  all  the  society  he  wants  in  his 
own  family.  Selfish,  from  the  over-indulged  love 
of  ease  iuid  liberty,  he  sees  in  a  new  comer  merely 
an  abridgment  of  his  range,  and  an  interloper  in 
that  sport  on  which  he  would  much  rather  depend  for 
subsistence  than  on  the  habits  of  regular  industry. 
What  can  more  flatter  an  imagination  warm  with 


■I 


334 


MEMOIRS  OF 


native  benevolence,  and  animated  by  romantit  en< 
thusiasm,  than  the  image  of  insulated  self-depend- 
ant families,  growing  up  in  those  primaeval  retreats, 
remote  from  the  corruptions  of  the  world,  and 
dwelling  amidst  the  prodigality  of  nature.  Nothing 
however  can  be  more  an ti- Arcadian.  There  no 
crook  is  seen,  no  pipe  is  heard,  no  lamb  bleats,  for 
the  best  possible  reason,  because  there  are  no 
sheep.  No  pastoral  strains  awake  the  sleeping 
echoes,  doomed  to  sleep  on  till  the  bull-frog,  the 
wolf,  and  the  quackawarry*  begin  their  nightly  con- 
cert. Seriously,  it  is  not  a  place  that  can,  in  any 
instance,  constitute  happiness.  When  listless  in- 
dolence or  lawless  turbulence  fly  to  shades  the 
most  tranquil,  or  scenes  the  most  beautiful,  they 
degrade  nature  instead  of  improving  or  enjoying 
her  charms.  Active  diligence,  a  sense  of  our  duty 
to  the  source  of  all  good,  and  kindly  affections  to- 
wards our  fellow-creatures,  with  a  degree  of  self- 
command  and  mental  improvement,  can  alone  pro- 
duce the  gentle  manners  that  ensure  rural  peace,  or 
enable  us,  with  intelligence  and  gratitude,  to  "  re- 
joice in  nature's  joys,  .  •     " 


CHAP.  LXV. 


Sketch  of  the  settlement  of  Pennsylvania. 


A  AIN  would  I  turn  from  this  gloomy  and  uncer- 
tain prospect,  so  disappointing  to  philanthropy,  and 
so  subversive  of  all  the  flattering  hopes  and  san- 
guine predictions  of  the  poets  and  philosophers, 
who  were  wont  to  look  forward  to  a  new  Atalantis, 

*'  Famed  for  arts  and  laws  derived  from  Jove,'* 

in  this  western  world.     But  I  cannot  quit  the  fond 

*  Quackawarry  is  the  Indian  name  of  a  bird,  which  flies  about 
in  the  night,  making  a  noise  similar  to  the  sound  of  its  name. 


':i 


f- 


m 


AN  AMERICAN  LADV. 


^35 


Mi 


retrospect  of  what  once  was  in  one  favoured  spot, 
without  indulging  a  distant  hope  of  what  may  e- 
merge  from  this  dark  disordered  state. 

The  melancholy  Cowley,  the  ingenious  bishop  of 
Cloyne,  and  many  others,  alike  eminent  for  virtue 
and  for  genius,  looked  forward  to  this  region  of  li- 
berty as  a  soil,  where  peace,  science,  and  religion 
could  have  room  to  take  root  and  flourish  unmolest- 
ed. In  those  primaeval  solitudes,  enriched  by  the 
choicest  bounties  of  nature,  they  might  (as  these 
benevolent  speculators  thought)  extend  their  shel- 
ter to  tribes  no  longer  savage,  rejoicing  in  the  light 
of  evangelic  truth,  and  exalting  science.  Little  did 
these  amiable  projectors  know  how  much  is  to  be 
done  before  the  human  mind,  debased  by  habitual 
vice,  and  cramped  by  artiiicial  manners  in  the  old 
world,  can  wash  out  its  stains  and  resume  its  sim- 
plicity in  a  new  ;  nor  did  they  know  through  how 
many  gradual  stages  of  culture  the  untutored  intel- 
lect of  savage  tribes  must  pass  before  they  become 
capable  of  comprehending  those  truths  which  to  us 
liabit  has  rendered  obvious,  or  which  at  any  rate  we 
have  talked  of  so  familiarly,  that  we  think  we  com- 
prehend them.  These  projectors  of  felicity  were 
not  so  ignorant  of  human  nature,  as  to  expect 
change  of  place  could  produce  an  instantaneous 
change  of  character  ;  but  they  hoped  to  realize  an 
Utopia,  where  justice  should  be  administered  on 
the  purest  principles  ;  from  which  venality  should 
be  banished,  and  where  mankind  should,  tlirough 
the  paths  of  truth  and  uprightness,  arrive  at  the 
highest  attainable  happiness  in  a  state  not  meant  for 
perfection.  They  "talked  the  style  of  gods,"  mak- 
ing vt.ry  little  account  of  "  chance  and  sufierance." 
Their  speculations  of  the  result  remind  me  of  what 
is  recorded  in  some  ancient  writer,  of  a  project  for 
building  a  magnificent  temple  to  Diana  in  some 
one  of  the  Grecian  states.  A  reward  was  offered 
to  him  who  shouk!  erect,  at  the  public  cost,  with 
most  taste  and  ingenuity,  a  structure  \yhich  should 


I 

-'  1 


336 


MEMOIRS  OF 


do  honour  both  to  the  goddess  and  her  worshippCHs. 
Several  candidates  appeared.  The  first  that  spoke 
was  a  self-satisfied  young  man,  who,  in  a  long  florid 
harangue,  described  the  pillars,  the  porticoes,  and 
the  proportions  of  this  intended  building,  seeming 
all  the  while  more  intent  on  the  display  of  his  elo- 
cution, than  on  the  subject  of  his  discourse.  When 
he  had  finished,  a  plain  elderly  man  came  from  be- 
hind him,  and  leaning  forwards,  said  in  a  deep  hol- 
low voice,  "  All  that  he  has  said  I  will  do." 

William  Penn  was  the  man,  born  to  give  "  a  local 
habitation  and  a  name,"  to  all  that  had  hitherto 
only  floated  in  the  day  dreams  of  poets  and  philo- 
sophers. 

To  qualify  him  for  the  legislator  of  a  new  born 
sect,' with  all  the  innocence  and  all  the  helpless- 
ness of  infancy,  many  circumstances  concurred, 
that  could  scarce  ever  be  supposed  to  happen  at 
once  to  the  same  person ;  born  to  fortune  and  dis* 
tinction,  with  a  mind  powerful  and  cultivated,  he 
knew,  experimentally,  all  the  advantages  to  be  de- 
rived from  wealth  or  knowledge,  and  ctould  not  be 
said  ignorantly  to  despise  them.  He  had,  in  his 
early  days,  walked  far  enough  into  the  paths  of 
folly  and  dissipation,  to  know  human  character  in 
all  its  varieties,  and  to  say  experimentally — all  is 
vanity.  With  a  vigorous  mind,  an  ardent  imagi- 
nation, and  a  heart  glowing  with  the  warmest  be- 
nevolence, he  appears  to  have  been  driven,  by  a 
repulsive  abhorrence  of  the  abuse  of  knowledge,  of 
pleasure,  and  pre-eminence,  which  he  had  witnes- 
sed, into  the  opposite  extreme :  into  a  sect,  the 
very  first  principles  of  which,  clip  the  wings  of 
fancy,  extinguish  ambition,  and  bring  every  strug- 
gle for  superiority,  the  result  of  uncommon  powers 
of  mind,  down  to  the  dead  level  of  tame  equality  ; 
a  fact,  that  reminds  one  of  the  exclusion  of  poets 
from  Plato's  fancied  republic,  by  stripping  off  all 
the  many-coloured  garbs  with  which  learning  and 
imagination  have  invested  the  forms  of  ideal  excel- 


M: 


I 


AN  AMERICAN  LADY. 


--^7 


OOl 


M 


ience,  and  reducing  them  to  a  few  simple  realities, 
arrayed  as  soberly  as  their  votaries. 

This  sect,  which  brings  mankind  to  a  resem- 
blance of  Thomson's  Laplanders, 

**  Who  little  pleasure  know,  and  feci  no  pain,'* 

might  be  supposed  the  last  to  captivate,  nay,  to  ab- 
sorb, such  a  mind  as  I  have  been  describing.  Yet 
so  it  was :  even  in  the  midst  of  all  this  cold  humili- 
ty, dominion  was  to  be  found.  That  rule,  which  of 
all  others,  is  most  gratifying  to  a  mind  conscious 
of  its  own  power,  and  directing  it  to  the  purposes 
of  benevolence,  the  voluntary  subjection  of  mind, 
the  homage  which  a  sect  pays  to  its  leader,  is  justly 
accounted  the  most  gratifying  species  of  power ; 
and  to  this  lurking  ambition  every  thing  is  render- 
ed subservient  by  those,  who  have  once  known  this 
native  and  inherent  superiority.  This  man,  who 
had  wasted  his  inheritance,  alienated  his  relations, 
and  estranged  his  friends,  who  had  forsaken  the 
religion  of  his  ancestors,  and  in  a  great  measure 
the  customs  of  his  country,  whom  some  charged 
with  folly,  and  others  with  madness,  was,  neverthe- 
less, destined  to  plan  with  consummate  wisdom, 
and  execute  v/ith  indefatigable  activity  and  im- 
movable firmness,  a  scheme  of  government,  such 
as  has  been  the  wish,  at  least,  of  every  enlarged 
and  benevolent  mind,  (from  Plato,  downwards,) 
which  has  indulged  speculations  of  the  kind.  .  The 
glory  of  realizing,  in  some  degree,  all  these  fair 
visions,  was,  however,  reserved  for  William  Penn 
alone. 

Imagination  delights  to  dwell  on  the  tranquil 
abodes  of  plenty,  content,  and  equanimity,  that  so 
quickly  "  rose  like  an  exhalation,"  in  the  domains 
of  this  pacific  legislator.  That  he  should  expect 
to  protect  the  quiet  abodes  of  his  peaceful  and  in- 
dustrious followers,  merely  with  a  fence  of  olive, 
as  one  may  call  his  gentle  institutions,)  is  wonder- 
ul ;  and  the  more  so,  when  we  consider  him  to 


*. 


[; 


i: 


n 


333 


MEMOIRS  OF 


have  lived  in  the  world,  and  known  too  well,  by  his 
own  experience,  of  what  discordant  elements  it  is 
composed.  A  mind  so  powerful  and  comprehen- 
sive as  his,  could  not  but  know,  that  the  wealth 
which  quiet  ^nd  blameless  industry  insensibly  ac- 
cumulates, proves  merely  a  lure  to  attract  the  arm- 
ed spoiler  to  the  defenceless  dwellinjjjs  of  those, 
who  do  not  think  it  a  duty  to  protect  themselves. 

*'  But  whcndivinc  nmbitinn  nwcIlM  liis  mind, 
**  Ambition  truly  great,  of  virtue's  deeds," 

he  could  no  otherwise  execute  his  plan  of  utility, 
than  by  the  agency  of  a  people  who  were  bound  to- 
gether by  a  principle,  at  once  adhesive  and  exclu- 
sive, and  who  were  too  calm  and  self-subdued,  too 
benignant  and  jnst  to  create  enemies  to  themselves 
among  their  neighbours.  There  could  be  no  mo- 
tive but  the  thirst  of  rapine,  for  disturbing  a  com- 
munity so  inoffensive  ;  and  the  founder,  no  doubt, 
flattered  himself  that  the  parent  country  would  not 
fail  to  extend  to  them  that  protection,  which  tlieir 
useful  lives  and  helpless  state  both  needed  and  de- 
served. 

Never,  surely,  were  institutions  better  calculated 
for  nursuig  the  infancy  of  a  sylvan  colony,  from 
which  the  noisy  pleasures,  and  more  bustling  va- 
rieties of  life,  were  necessarily  excluded.  The 
serene  and  dispassionate  state,  to  which  it  seems 
the  chief  aim  of  this  sect  to  bring  the  human  mind-, 
is  precisely  what  is  requifvite  to  reconcile  it  to  the 
privations  that  must  be  encountered,  during  the 
early  stages  of  the  progression  of  society,  which, 
necessarily  excluded  from  the  pleasures  of  refine- 
ment, should  be  guarded  from  its  pains. 

Where  nations,  in  the  course  of  time  become 
civilized,  the  process  is  so  gradual  from  one  race  to 
another,  that  no  violent  eftbrt  i^s  rc(|uired  to  break 
through  settled  habits,  and  acquire  nevy  tastes  and 
inclinations,  fitted  to  what  might  be  almost  styled  a 
new  mode  of  existence.     But  when  colonies  are 


AN  AMERICAN  LADY. 


23'i> 


ttrst  seltlcd,  in  a  couiUt7  no  entirely  prim'uive  us 
that  tu  which  VVilliuni  l*cnn  Ictl  hin  jollowrrs,  then*- 
ihtt  kind  of  rctro^nulc  movenicnt  ol'the  mind,  re* 
quiuitc  tu  reconcile  people  to  the  new  dutie»  und 
new  viewH  that  open  lo  iheni)  and  to  make  the  total 
privation  of  wonted  objects,  niodcH,  und  anuibc- 
inentH,  tolerable. 

Perfect  simplicity  of  taste  and  manners,  and  en- 
lire  indifference  to  much  of  what  the  world  culln 
pleasure,  were  necessary  to  make  life  toU  rablo  lo 
the  first  aettlers  in  a  trackless  wijderneHs.     These 
hubittt  of  thinkinf^  and  living,  so  diflicult  to  acquire, 
uttd  80  painful  when  forced  upon  the  mind  by  ine  - 
vitable  necessity)  ihp  quakcrs  broup;ht  with  them* 
und  left,  without  regret,  a  world  from  whi«  h  they 
were  already  excluded  by  that  auHtcre  simpliciu 
which  peculiarly  fitted  them  for  their  new  situation.  A 
kindred  simplicity,  and  a  similar  i|«;norancc  of  arli- 
iicial  refinements  and  high  seasoned  |)leusures,pro< 
duced  the  same  effect  in  qualifyinj;  the  first  settlers 
ut  Albany  to  support  the  privations,  and  endure 
the  inconveniences  of  their  novi<  iatc  in  the  forests 
of  the  new  world.     IJut  to  return  to  VVillliam  I'enn  ; 
the  fair  fabric  he  had  erected,  though  it  speedily 
fulfilled  the  utmost  promise  of  hope,  contained  with- 
in itself  the  principle  of  dissolution,  und,  from  the 
very  natih'eof  the  beings  which  composed  it,  must 
have  decayed,  though  the  revolutionary  shock  had 
not  so  soon  shaken  its  foundations.     Sobriety  and 
prudence  Icud  naturally  to  wealth,  and  wealth  to  au- 
thority,  which  soon  strikes  at  the  root  of  the  short 
lived  principle  of  ecjuality.     A  single  instance  may 
occur  here   and  there,  but  who  can   ever  (iUj.»^,iosfc 
nature  running  so  contrary  to  her  bias  that  all  the 
opulent  members  of  a  community  should  acquire 
or  inherit  wealth  for   the  mere  purpose  of  giving 
it  away  ?  Wh';re  there  are  no  elegant  arts  to  be  en- 
couraged, n«<   elegant  pleasures  to  be  procured, 
where  ingcuity  is  not  to  be  rewarded,  or  talent  ad- 
mired or  exercised,  what  is  wealth  but  a  cumbrous 
load,  sinking  the  owner  deeper  and  deeper  into 


'\  I 


440 


MEMOIRS  OF 


Ijjrossness  and  dullness,  having  no  incitement  tu 
exercise  the  only  faculties  permitted  him  to  use, 
und  few  objects  to  relieve  in  a  community  from 
which  vice  and  poverty  arc  equally  excluded  by 
their  industry,  and  their  wholesome  rule  of  expuU 
bion.  We  all  know  that  there  is  not  in  society  a 
more  useless  and  disgusting  character  than  what 
is  formed  by  the  possession  of  great  wealth  with- 
out elegance  or  rcfmement,  without,  indeed,  that 
liberality  which  can  only  result  from  a  certain  de- 
gree of  cultivation.  What  then  would  a  commu* 
nity  be,  entirely  formed  of  such  persons,  or,  sup- 
posing such  a  community. to  exist)  how  long  would 
they  adhere  to  the  simple  mann«rs  of  their  founder, 
with  such  a  source  of  corruption  mingled  with  their 
very  existence.  Detachment  from  pleasure  and 
from  vanity,  frugal  and  simple  habits,  and  a  habi- 
'  ual  close  adherence  to  some  particular  trade  or 
employment,  are  circumstances  that  have  a  sure 
tendency  to  enrich  the  individuals  who  practice 
them.  This  in  the  end  is  "  to  give  humility  a 
.'*  coach  and  six,**  that  is,  to  destroy  the  very  prin- 
ciple of  adhesion  ^vhich  binds  and  continues  the 
sect. 

Highly  estimable  as  a  sect,  these  people  were 
respectable  and  amiable  in  their  collective  capacity 
as  u  colony.  But  then  it  was  an  institution  so  con* 
Htructcd,  that,  M'ithout  a  miracle,  its  virtues  must 
have  expired  with  its  minority.  I  do  not  here  speak 
of  the  necessity  of  its  being  governed  and  pro- 
tected by  those  of  different  opinions,  but  merely  of 
wealth  stagnating  without  its  proper  application. 
Of  this  humane  community  it  is  but  just  to  say,  that 
they  were  tlie  only  Europeans  in  the  new  world  who 
always  treated  the  Indians  with  probity  like  their 
own,  and  with  kindness  calculated  to  do  honour  to 
the  faith  they  professed.  I  speak  of  them  now  in 
their  collective  capacity.  They  two  are  the  only 
people  that,  It,  a  temperate,  judicous,  (and,  I  trust, 
successful)  maimer,  have  endeavoured,  and  still 
endeavour  tQ  convert  the  Indians  to  christiauit/ ', 


'<.l' 


AN  AMERICAN  LADY. 


341 


for  them  too  was  reserved  the  honourable  distinc- 
tion of  being  the  only  body  who  sacrificed  interest 
to  humanity,  by  voluntarily  giving  freedom  to  those 
slaves  whom  they  held  in  easy  bondage.  That  a 
government  so  constituted  could  not,  in  the  nature 
of  things,  long  exist,  is  to  be  regretted  ;  that  it 
produced  so  much  good  to  others  and  so  much 
comfort  and  prosperity  to  its  subjects  while  it  did 
exist,  is  an  honourable  testimony  of  the  worth  and 
wisdom  of  its  benevolent  founder. 


CHAP.  LXVI. 


Prospoets  brightening  in  Britiah  America.— Desirable  Country 
t)nthe  interior  Lakes,  &c. 


<H'* 


H< 


LOWEVER  discouraging  the  prospect  of  so- 
ciety on  this  great  continent  may  at  present  appear, 
thci*e  is  every  reason  to  hope  time,  and  the  ordina- 
ry course  of  events,  may  bring  about  a  desirable 
change ;  but  in  the  present  state  of  things,  no  go- 
vernment seems  less  calculated  to  promote  the 
1)appiness  of  its  subjects,  or  to  ensure  permanence 
to  itself,  tlian  that  feeble  and  unstable  system  which 
is  only  calculated  for  a  community  comprising 
more  virtue,  and  more  union  than  such  a  heteroge- 
neous mixture  can  be  supposed  to  have  attained. 
States,  like  individuals,  purchase  wisdom  by  suffer- 
ing, and  they  have  probably  much  to  endure  before 
iht'y  assume  a  fixed  determinate  form. 

Without  partiality  it  may  be  safely  averred,  that 
notwithstanding  the  severity  of  the  climate,  and 
other  uiifuvoiirablc  circumstances,  the  provinces 
of  British  America  are  the  abode  of  more  present 
safely  and  happiness,  and  contain  situations  more 
favourul)le  to  future  establishments,  than  any  with- 
in the  limits  of  the  United  States. 

To  state  all  the  grounds  upon  which  this  opinion 
is  fou(kded)  might  lead  me  into  discussions,  narra« 


■i'4 


,342 


MEMOIRS  OF 


tives,  and  description  which  might  swell  into  a 
volume,  more  interesting  than  the  preceding 
one.  But  being  ^t  present  neither  able  or  in- 
clined to  do  justice  to  the  subject,  I  shall  only 
briefly  observe  first,  with  regard  to  the  govcrnhicnt, 
it  is  one  to  which  the  governed  are  fondly  attach- 
ed, and  which  like  religion  becomes  endeared  to 
its  votaries,  by  the  sufferings  they  have  endured 
for  their  adherence  to  it.  It  is  consoncnt  to  their 
earliest  prejudices,  and  sanctioned  by  hereditary 
attachment.  The  climate  is  indeed  severe,  but  it 
is  steady  and  regular,  the  skies  in  the  interior  are 
clear,  the  air  is  pure.  The  summer,  with  all  the 
heat  of  warm  climates  to  cherish  the  productions  of 
the  earth,  is  not  subject  to  the  drought  that  in  such 
climatcb  scorches  and  destroys  them.  Abundant 
woods  afford  shelter  and  fuel,  to  mitigate  the  se- 
verity of  winter ;  and  streams  rapid  and  copious 
flow  in  all  directions  to  refresh  the  plants  and  cool 
the  air,  during  their  short  but  ardent  summer. 

The  country,  barren  at  the  sea-side,  does  not  af- 
ford an  inducement  for  those  extensive  settlements 
which  have  a  tendency  to  become  merely  commer- 
cial from  their  •situation.  It  becomes  more  fertile 
as  it  recedes  further  from  tlic  sea.  Thus  holding 
out  an  inducement  to  pursue  nature  into  her  fa- 
vorite retreats,  where  on  the  banks  of  mighty  wa- 
ters, calculated  to  promote  all  the  purposes  of  so- 
cial traflic. among  the  inhabitants,  the  richest  soil, 
tlie  happiest  climate,  and  the  most  complete  de- 
tachment from  the  world,  promise  a  safe  asylum 
to  those  who  carry  the  arts  and  the  literature  of 
Europe,  hereafter  to  grace  and  enlighten  scenes 
where  agriculture  has  already  made  rapid  ad- 
vances. 

In  the  dawning  light  which  a^lrcady  begins  to 
rise  in  these  remote  abodes,  much  may  be  disco- 
vered of  what  promises  a  brighter  day.  Excepting 
the  remnant  of  the  old  Canadians,  who  are  a  very 
inoffensive  people,  patient  and  cheerful,  attached 
to  monarchy,  and  much  assimilated  to  our  modes 


AN  AMERICAN  LADY. 


343 


wa- 
so- 
soil, 
de- 
luni 
of 
lencs 
ud- 


of  thinking  and  living,  these  provinces  are  peo- 
pled, for  the  most  part,  with  inhabitants  possessed 
of  true  British  hearts  and  principles.  Veterans 
who  have  shed  their  blood,  and  spent  their  best 
days  in  the  service  of  the  parent  country,  and  roy- 
alists v/ho  have  fled  here  for  a  refuge,  after  devot- 
ing their  property  to  the  support  of  their  honour 
and  loyalty;  who  adhere  together  and  form  a  soci- 
ety graced  b.  that  knowledge,  and  those  manners, 
which  rendered  them  respectable  in  their  original 
state,  with  all  the  experience  gained  from  adver- 
sity ;  and  that  elevation  of  sentiment  which  results 
from  the  consciousness  of  having  suffered  in  a  good 
cause.  Here,  too,  are  clusters  of  emigrants  who 
have  fled,  unacquainted  with  the  refinements,  avA 
uncontaminated  by  the  old  world,  to  seek  for  that 
b  ead  and  peace,  which  the  progress  of  luxury  and 
the  change  of  manners  denied  them  at  home.  Here 
they  come  in  kindly  confederation,  resolved  to  che- 
rish in  those  kindred  groups,  which  have  left  with 
social  sorrow  their  native  mountains,  the  customs 
and  traditions,  the  language  and  the  love  of  their 
ancestors,  and  to  find  comfort  in  that  religion, 
which  has  been  ever  their  support  and  their  shield, 
for  all  that  they  have  left  behind.* 

It  is  by  tribes  of  individuals  intimately  connect- 
ed with  each  other  by  some  common  tic,  that  a 
country  is  most  advantageously  settled  ;  to  which 
the  obvious  supcriqrity  in  point  of  principle  and 
union  that  distinguishes  British  America  from  the 
United  States,  is  chiefly  owing.  Our  provinces 
aflbrd  no  room  for  wild  speculations  cither  of  the 
commercial  or  political  kind  ;  regular,  moderate 
trade,  promising  little  beyond  a  comfortable  sub- 
sistence, iind  agriculture,  requiring  much  industry 
and  settled  habits,  are  the  only  paths   open  to  ad- 

•  If  IS  needless  to  enlarge  on  a  siihjcct,  to  m  hlcli  Lord  Sel- 
kirk has  done  siich  nmple  jnntice,  who  wiintcd  nothing  bitt  a 
lit.th;  experience  and  .•!  little  uid,  to  niwke  the  heot  practin*!  com- 
ntentH  on  his  own  jii(liciou.<)  observations. 


344 


V 


MEMOIRS,  ficc. 


venturers ;  and  the  chief  inducement  to  emigra- 
tion is  the  poasibiiiiy  of  an  attached  society  of" 
friends  and  kindred,  fiiiding  room  to  dwell  togeth- 
er, and  meeting,  in  the  depth  of  these  fertile  wilds, 
with  similar  associations.  Hence  solitary  and  des- 
perate adventurers,  the  vain,  the  turbulent,  and  the 
ambitious,  shun  these  regulated  abodes  of  quiet 
industry,  for  scenes  more  adapted  to  their  genius. 

I  shall  now  conclude  my  recollections,  which 
circumstances  have  often  rendered  very  painful ; 
but  will  not  take  upon  me  to  enlarge  on  those 
hopes  that  stretch  a  dubious  wing  into  temporal 
I'ulurity,  in  search  of  a  brighter  day,  and  a  better 
order  of  things.  Content  if  I  have  preserved  some 
rccortls  of  a  valuable  life ;  thi*own  some  glimmer- 
ing light  upon  the  progress  of  society  in  that  pecu- 
liar  state,  which  it  was  my  fate  to  witness  and  to 
share,  and  afforded  some  hours  of  harmless  amuse- 
ment to  those  lovers  of  nature  and  of  truth,  who 
can  patiently  trace  their  progress  thix)ugh  a  tale 
devoid  alike   of  regular  arrangement,  surprising 

variety,  and  artificial  embellishment.* 

»  1   .... 

*  The  reader,  who  has  paliently  gone  on  to  the  conclusion 
of  these  desultory  memoirs,  will  perhaps  regret  narting  with 
that  singular  association  of  people,  the  Mohawk  trihes,  without 
knowing  where  the  few  that  remain  ha^e  taken  up  their  abode. 
1 1  U  iuit  doin^  justice  to  this  distinguished  race  to  say,  that, 
though  dimmished,  they  were  not  subdued  ;  though  voluntary 
exiles,  not  degraded.  Their  courage  and  fidelity  were  to  the 
last  exerted  in  the  most  trying  exigencies.  Trf  to  their  alli- 
ance with  that  nation  >(ith  whom  they  had  ever  lived  in  friend- 
ship, and  faithful  to  ihat  respectable  family,  who  had  formed 
at  once  the  cement  and  the  medium  by  u'hich  that  alliance  was 
c(mfirmed,  and  through  which  assurances  of  attachment  and 
nssibtance  had  been  tr.in8mitted,  all  that  remained  of  this  pow- 
erful nation  followo'l  Sir  John  Johnson  (the  son  of  their  rever- 
ed Sir  William)  into  Upper  Canada,  where  they  now  find  a 
home  around  the  place  of  his  residence.  One  old  man  alone, 
having  no  living  tic  remaining,  would  not  forsake  the  tombs  of 
his  ancestors,  atid  remains  like  "  a  Avatchnian  on  the  lonely 
hi'l ;"  or  ratlicr  like  a  sad  memento  of  an  extinguished  nation. 


••^^p^iiiiBiihitSiMMMM 


> 


m 


■  I 


'^ 


